Schellfischtunnel Südportal

Slipping through time, imagine the year 1845. Here at the foot of the Geesthänge, a steep incline challenged the burgeoning trade of Altona’s harbor. This was before the Schellfischtunnel. Goods were loaded onto wheeled platforms and hauled up the 210-meter “Schiefe Ebene” (Inclined Plane) by horse-drawn ropes. Later, steam power took over, but the process remained slow and cumbersome. The Schellfischtunnel was born of necessity. Altona, a Prussian town bordering Hamburg, embraced innovation. Its harbor thrived, adopting rail connections far earlier than its more conservative neighbor. But the steep Elbe riverbank presented a significant obstacle. This incline could only handle a limited number of wagons per day, creating a bottleneck. As Hamburg modernized its own port, the pressure mounted on Altona to find a better solution. The Schellfischtunnel became that solution. Construction began in 1874, led by the firm of Johann Hinrich Ehlers. The tunnel, initially 395 meters long, opened on January 18, 1876. It connected the harbor to the Altona train station, overcoming the 30-meter elevation change with a gentle 2.78% grade. The Schellfischtunnel drastically increased the harbor’s capacity. The tunnel we stand before isn’t the original. When the Altona station moved north in 1895, the Schellfischtunnel was extended to its current length of 961 meters. It served primarily freight traffic, especially the burgeoning fish trade, hence its nickname “Schellfischtunnel” (Haddock Tunnel), likely coined in the 1920s. The tunnel also carried bulk goods like grain and timber. Between 1911 and 1954, the Altona harbor railway, including the tunnel, was electrified. However, the voltage inside the damp tunnel was limited to 3 kV to prevent sparking. In the early 1930s, the southern section of the tunnel underwent major renovations. During World War II, the Schellfischtunnel served as an unofficial air-raid shelter for many Altona residents. After the last commercial user, Transthermos, relocated in 1992, the harbor railway and the Schellfischtunnel were closed. The southern portal, where we stand now, was sealed with an iron gate. Fears of collapse in 1998 led to traffic restrictions on the roads above. However, it proved more cost-effective to reinforce the tunnel than to demolish or fill it. Though closed to regular traffic, the Schellfischtunnel’s history continues to resonate. Discussions about its potential reuse for public transport surfaced in the mid-1990s and again in 2006. Unfortunately, due to high costs and its location, these plans were abandoned. Today, guided tours offer a glimpse into this remarkable feat of engineering, a testament to Altona’s innovative spirit and the crucial role the Schellfischtunnel played in its history.