Altona | |
|---|---|
 Sol LeWitt, Black Form Dedicated to the Missing Jews, Altona Townhall (Altona-Altstadt) | |
 Flag  Coat of arms | |
Boroughs of Hamburg
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 Location of Altona | |
  Altona  Altona | |
| Coordinates:53°33′N9°56′E / 53.550°N 9.933°E /53.550; 9.933 | |
| Country | Germany |
| State | Hamburg |
| City | Hamburg |
| Borough | Altona |
| Founded | 1535 |
| Subdivisions | 13quarters |
| Government | |
| • Bezirksamtsleiter | Stefanie von Berg |
| Area | |
• Total | 77.5 km2 (29.9 sq mi) |
| Population (2023-12-31)[1] | |
• Total | 280,838 |
| • Density | 3,620/km2 (9,390/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+01:00 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+02:00 (CEST) |
| Dialling codes | 040 |
| Vehicle registration | HH |
Altona (German:[ˈaltonaː]ⓘ), also calledHamburg-Altona, is the westernmosturban borough (Bezirk) of theGermancity state ofHamburg. Located on the right bank of theElbe river, Altona had a population of 270,263 in 2016.
From 1640 to 1864, Altona was under the administration of theDanish monarchy. Altona was an independent borough until 1937.
The first documented mention of Altona was in 1537 as a tavern "Lohekrug" for the fishermen. For the competing Hamburg innkeepers, the Lohekrug was “all to na” (all too near) to the border with Hamburg, from which the name Altona may have been derived.[2] Altona grew up around the inn as a settlement of fishermen and craftsmen, which was promoted by the rulers of the land, the Counts ofHolstein-Pinneberg, in the spirit ofmercantilism. In 1640, Altona was part ofHolstein-Glückstadt, and in 1664 the place was grantedmunicipal rights by the kingFrederik III of Denmark, who then ruled inpersonal union asDuke of Holstein in theHoly Roman Empire. Altona was one of his monarchy's most important harbor towns. The railway from Altona toKiel, theHamburg-Altona–Kiel railway (Danish:Christian VIIIØstersø Jernbane), was opened in 1844.
The wars betweenDenmark and theGerman Confederation – theFirst Schleswig War (1848–1851) and theSecond Schleswig War (February–October 1864) led to Denmark's cession of theDuchies of Schleswig,Holstein andLauenburg; they were initially jointly administered as acondominium by Prussian and Austrian administration. With theGastein Convention of 14 August 1865, Holstein came under solely Austrian administration, while Schleswig and Lauenburg came under Prussian authority. After theAustro-Prussian War, Schleswig-Holstein as a whole became the Prussianprovince of Schleswig-Holstein in 1867 and as such Altona became part of theGerman Empire in 1871. In the same year, the town was hit bycholera, with a minimum of 16 casualties in Altona.[3]
Because of severe restrictions on the number ofJews allowed to live in Hamburg until 1864 (with the exception of 1811–1815),[4] a majorJewish community developed in Altona starting in 1611, when CountErnest of Schaumburg and Holstein-Pinneberg granted the first permanent residence permits toAshkenazic Jews.[5] Members did business both in Hamburg and in Altona itself. All that remains after theNaziHolocaust duringWorld War II are theJewish cemeteries, but in the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, the community was a major center of Jewish life andscholarship. Holstein-Pinneberg, and later Danish Holstein, imposed lower taxes and fewer civil restrictions on their Jewish communities than thegovernment of Hamburg.
During the Weimar era followingWorld War I, the town of Altona experienced significant labor strikes and street unrest amid widespread economic instability. Inflation in Germany was a major issue, and in 1923, Altona's mayor,Max Brauer, addressed the problem by partially paying town personnel with gas meter tokens, which retained their value despite the inflation.[6]
The most notable event at that time was theAltona Bloody Sunday (German:Altonaer Blutsonntag) on 17 July 1932, when 18 people were killed, all but two by police, during a violent clash betweenNazi marchers and members or supporters of theCommunist Party.[7] After police raids and a special court, on 1 August 1933,Bruno Tesch and others were found guilty and put to death by beheading with a hand-held axe.[8][9] In 1938, theGreater Hamburg Act removed Altona from theFree State of Prussia in 1937 and merged it (and several surrounding towns) with the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg.
In the 1990s, theFederal Republic of Germany reversed the convictions of Tesch and the other men who were put to death, clearing their names.
On 1 February 2007, theOrtsämter (district offices) in Hamburg were done away with. In Altona, the districts of Blankenese, Lurup and Osdorf had existed and had local offices. On 1 March 2008, the Schanzenviertel neighborhood, which had spanned parts of the boroughs of Altona, Eimsbüttel and Hamburg-Mitte, became theSternschanze quarter, the entirety of which is now in the Altona borough.[10]
Altona is noted for being the site of the popularAltona Fischmarkt.[11]
Commentators and politicians, including former member of theHamburg ParliamentStefanie von Berg [de], have noted that neighborhoods in Altona is diverse in terms of social conditions. Von Berg noted that poverty present in theLurup andOsdorf quarters contrast with the affluentBlankenese andNienstedten quarters within the borough.[12]
The border of Altona to the south is the RiverElbe, and across the river the state ofLower Saxony and the boroughs ofHarburg andHamburg-Mitte. To the east is the borough of Hamburg-Mitte and to the north is the borough ofEimsbüttel. The western border is with the state ofSchleswig-Holstein. According to the statistical office of Hamburg, Altona has an area of 77.5 km2 or 29.9 sq mi in 2006.
Politically, the following quarters (German:Stadtteile) are part of Altona borough:
In 2018, Altona had a population of 274,702 people. 18.0% are children under the age of 18 and 17.9% are 65 years of age or older. 16.2% are immigrants. 5.0% of people are registered as unemployed. In 2018, 53,4% of all households are single-person households.[citation needed]
There are 195 kindergartens and 31 primary schools in Altona as well as 879 physicians in private practice, 254 dentists and 60 pharmacies.[13]
Simultaneously with elections to the state parliament (Bürgerschaft), theBezirksversammlung is elected as representatives of the citizens. It consists of 51 representatives.
| Parties | % | ± | Seats | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alliance 90/The Greens | 27.6 |  7.5 | 14 | |
| Social Democratic Party | 21.6 |  1.2 | 11 | |
| Christian Democratic Union | 18.0 | 1.4 | 9 | |
| The Left | 12.8 | 2.0 | 7 | |
| Free Democratic Party | 7.6 | 0.8 | 4 | |
| Volt | 5.6 | 5.6 | 3 | |
| Alternative for Germany | 5.5 | 1.1 | 3 | |
| Others | 0.6 | 0.2 | 0 | |
| Total | 51 | |||
Altona is the location of a major railway station,Hamburg-Altona, connecting theHamburg S-Bahn with the regional railways and local bus lines.
TheA 7 autobahn passes through Altona borough.
According to the Department of Motor Vehicles (Kraftfahrt-Bundesamt), in Altona 87,131 private cars were registered (359 cars per 1000 people).[14]
Altona-St. Pauli travel guide from WikivoyageFreie und Hansestadt Hamburg | |
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