Wilhelmsburg
Encyclopedia
Wilhelmsburg is a quarter (Stadtteil) of Hamburg
, Germany
within the borough (Bezirk) of Hamburg-Mitte
. It is situated on the homonymous island between the Northern and Southern branches of the Elbe
river (Norderelbe and Süderelbe), together with the other quarters of Steinwerder, Veddel and Kleiner Grasbrook. The latter almost exclusively consists of facilities of the port of Hamburg. The four quarters are technically all islands of their own, as they are all separated by their own dams. In 2006 the population was 49,132.
acquired three islets in the river Elbe
and connected them by means of dams. The resultant island was named Wilhelmsburg in his honour.
In 1705, the Principality of Lüneburg
passed on to the Electorate of Hanover
, and Wilhelmsburg became part of the Hanoverian state, which then subsequently became the Prussia
n Province of Hanover
in 1866. In 1925 the Prussian authorities designated Wilhelmsburg as a city district, and merged it with nearby Harburg two years later to form the city of Harburg-Wilhelmsburg
.
In 1937, Harburg-Wilhelmsburg, along with the cities from the Prussian Province of Schleswig-Holstein
, Altona
and Wandsbek
, was annexed to Hamburg
in the Greater Hamburg Act
.
During World War II
the port of Hamburg and therefore Wilhelmsburg were targets of the air raids
of the so called Operation Gomorrah. A subcamp to the Neuengamme concentration camp existed in Wilhelmsburg.
In the night from February 16 to February 17, 1962 Wilhelmsburg was widely flooded and seriously damaged by a north sea flood
.
On March 1, 2008 Wilhelmsburg was transferred from the borough Harburg to the borough Hamburg-Mitte by a Hamburg law.
and Veddel
. In the east are the quarters Spadenland and Ochsenwerder of the Bergedorf
borough. In the south are the quarters Neuland and Harburg of the Harburg borough and the state of Lower Saxony
and in the east are the quarters Moorburg and Altenwerder of the Harburg borough.
Population by year
In 2006 there were 7,204 criminal offences (147 crimes per 1,000 people).
There were 8 elementary schools and 6 secondary schools in the quarter Wilhelmsburg and 52 physicians in private practice and 11 pharmacies.
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Parts of the port of Hamburg are located in Wilhelmsburg.
.
system of the city train
with the Wilhelmsburg station.
The islands of Wilhelmsburg, Steinwerder, Veddel and Kleiner Grasbrook are connected via numerous bridges. The main connections to other parts of Hamburg are the Hamburger Elbbrücken (Hamburg Elbe Bridges) which consist of the Norder- und Süderelbbrücken (Northern and Southern Elbe Bridges), that connect Wilhelmsburg with the City Center of Hamburg in the north and with the quarter of Harburg in the south, the Kattwyk-Bridge (world's largest vertical lift bridge) in the southwest and the Köhlbrand Bridge
which is a major connection from Wilhelmsburg to the nearby motorway 7 and the New Elbe Tunnel in the northwest.
According to the Department of Motor Vehicles (Kraftfahrt-Bundesamt), in the quarter Wilhelmsburg were 13,714 private cars registered (280 cars/1,000 people).
Hamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
within the borough (Bezirk) of Hamburg-Mitte
Hamburg-Mitte
Hamburg-Mitte located in the Free and Hanseatic city of Hamburg, Germany is one of the seven boroughs of Hamburg, covering mostly the urban center of the city of Hamburg. The quarters Hamburg-Altstadt and Neustadt are the historical origin of Hamburg...
. It is situated on the homonymous island between the Northern and Southern branches of the Elbe
Elbe
The Elbe is one of the major rivers of Central Europe. It rises in the Krkonoše Mountains of the northwestern Czech Republic before traversing much of Bohemia , then Germany and flowing into the North Sea at Cuxhaven, 110 km northwest of Hamburg...
river (Norderelbe and Süderelbe), together with the other quarters of Steinwerder, Veddel and Kleiner Grasbrook. The latter almost exclusively consists of facilities of the port of Hamburg. The four quarters are technically all islands of their own, as they are all separated by their own dams. In 2006 the population was 49,132.
History
In 1642, George William, Duke of Brunswick-LüneburgGeorge William, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg
George William was duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg and ruled first over the Principality of Calenberg, a subdivision of the duchy, then over the Lüneburg subdivision. In 1689 he occupied the Duchy of Saxe-Lauenburg....
acquired three islets in the river Elbe
Elbe
The Elbe is one of the major rivers of Central Europe. It rises in the Krkonoše Mountains of the northwestern Czech Republic before traversing much of Bohemia , then Germany and flowing into the North Sea at Cuxhaven, 110 km northwest of Hamburg...
and connected them by means of dams. The resultant island was named Wilhelmsburg in his honour.
In 1705, the Principality of Lüneburg
Principality of Lüneburg
The Principality of Lüneburg was a territorial division of the Duchy of Brunswick-Lüneburg within the Holy Roman Empire, immediately subordinate to the emperor. It existed from 1269 until 1705 and its territory lay within the modern-day state of Lower Saxony in Germany...
passed on to the Electorate of Hanover
Electorate of Hanover
The Electorate of Brunswick-Lüneburg was the ninth Electorate of the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation...
, and Wilhelmsburg became part of the Hanoverian state, which then subsequently became the Prussia
Prussia
Prussia was a German kingdom and historic state originating out of the Duchy of Prussia and the Margraviate of Brandenburg. For centuries, the House of Hohenzollern ruled Prussia, successfully expanding its size by way of an unusually well-organized and effective army. Prussia shaped the history...
n Province of Hanover
Province of Hanover
The Province of Hanover was a province of the Kingdom of Prussia and the Free State of Prussia from 1868 to 1946.During the Austro-Prussian War, the Kingdom of Hanover had attempted to maintain a neutral position, along with some other member states of the German Confederation...
in 1866. In 1925 the Prussian authorities designated Wilhelmsburg as a city district, and merged it with nearby Harburg two years later to form the city of Harburg-Wilhelmsburg
Harburg-Wilhelmsburg
Harburg-Wilhelmsburg was a city in the Prussian Province of Hanover briefly in existence from 1927 and 1937, resulting from the merger of the cities of Harburg and Wilhelmsburg. In 1937, Harburg-Wilhelmsburg, along with the cities from the Prussian Province of Schleswig-Holstein, Altona and...
.
In 1937, Harburg-Wilhelmsburg, along with the cities from the Prussian Province of Schleswig-Holstein
Province of Schleswig-Holstein
The Province of Schleswig-Holstein was a province of the Kingdom of Prussia and the Free State of Prussia from 1868 to 1946. It was created from the Duchies of Schleswig and Holstein, which had been conquered by Prussia and the Austrian Empire from Denmark in the Second War of Schleswig in 1864...
, Altona
Altona, Hamburg
Altona is the westernmost urban borough of the German city state of Hamburg, on the right bank of the Elbe river. From 1640 to 1864 Altona was under the administration of the Danish monarchy. Altona was an independent city until 1937...
and Wandsbek
Wandsbek
Wandsbek is the second-largest of seven boroughs that make up the city of Hamburg, Germany. The name of the district is derived from the river Wandse which passes here. The quarter Wandsbek, which is the former independent city, is urban and, with the quarters Eilbek and Marienthal part of the...
, was annexed to Hamburg
Hamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
in the Greater Hamburg Act
Gesetz über Groß-Hamburg und andere Gebietsbereinigungen
The Greater Hamburg Act was passed by the government of Nazi Germany on January 26, 1937, and mandated the exchange of territories between Hamburg and the Free State of Prussia...
.
During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
the port of Hamburg and therefore Wilhelmsburg were targets of the air raids
Airstrike
An air strike is an attack on a specific objective by military aircraft during an offensive mission. Air strikes are commonly delivered from aircraft such as fighters, bombers, ground attack aircraft, attack helicopters, and others...
of the so called Operation Gomorrah. A subcamp to the Neuengamme concentration camp existed in Wilhelmsburg.
In the night from February 16 to February 17, 1962 Wilhelmsburg was widely flooded and seriously damaged by a north sea flood
North Sea flood of 1962
The North Sea flood of 1962 was a natural disaster affecting mainly the coastal regions of Germany and in particular the city of Hamburg in the night from 16 February to 17 February 1962...
.
On March 1, 2008 Wilhelmsburg was transferred from the borough Harburg to the borough Hamburg-Mitte by a Hamburg law.
Geography
In 2006 according to the statistical office of Hamburg and Schleswig-Holstein, the quarter Wilhelmsburg has a total area of 35.3 square kilometres (14 sq mi). Wihelmsburg borders in the north to the quarters Steinwerder, Kleiner GrasbrookKleiner Grasbrook
Kleiner Grasbrook is a quarter of Hamburg, Germany within the borough of Hamburg-Mitte. It is situated on the homonymous island between the Northern and Southern branches of the Elbe river , together with the other quarters of Steinwerder, Veddel and Wilhelmsburg...
and Veddel
Veddel
Veddel is a quarter in the Hamburg-Mitte borough of the Free and Hanseatic city of Hamburg on the homonymous island in the Elbe river, in northern Germany. In 2006, the population was 4,944.-Demographics:...
. In the east are the quarters Spadenland and Ochsenwerder of the Bergedorf
Bergedorf
Bergedorf is the largest of the seven boroughs of Hamburg, Germany and a quarter within this borough. In 2006 the population of the borough was 118,942.-History:...
borough. In the south are the quarters Neuland and Harburg of the Harburg borough and the state of Lower Saxony
Lower Saxony
Lower Saxony is a German state situated in north-western Germany and is second in area and fourth in population among the sixteen states of Germany...
and in the east are the quarters Moorburg and Altenwerder of the Harburg borough.
Demographics
In 2006 Wilhelmsburg had 49,132 inhabitants. The population density was 1394 PD/sqkm. 22.6% of the population were under the age of 18, and 14.6% were 65 years of age or older. 33.7% were resident aliens. 4,298 people were registered as unemployed. In 1999 there were 21,345 households out of which 26.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them and 39.9% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.18.Population by year
| 1987 | 1988 | 1989 | 1990 | 1991 | 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 |
| 44,047 | 44477 | 45,636 | 46,686 | 46,876 | 47,523 | 47,729 | 47,670 | 47,772 | 47,604 | 47,256 | 46,280 | 46,110 |
| 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 |
| 46,125 | 47,180 | 47,857 | 47,847 | 48,322 | 48,957 | 49,132 |
In 2006 there were 7,204 criminal offences (147 crimes per 1,000 people).
There were 8 elementary schools and 6 secondary schools in the quarter Wilhelmsburg and 52 physicians in private practice and 11 pharmacies.
Economy
Infrastructure
The hospital Wilhelmsburger Krankenhaus Groß Sand has 257 beds and a day care center for geriatricsGeriatrics
Geriatrics is a sub-specialty of internal medicine and family medicine that focuses on health care of elderly people. It aims to promote health by preventing and treating diseases and disabilities in older adults. There is no set age at which patients may be under the care of a geriatrician, or...
.
Transportation
Wilhelmsburg is serviced by the rapid transitRapid transit
A rapid transit, underground, subway, elevated railway, metro or metropolitan railway system is an electric passenger railway in an urban area with a high capacity and frequency, and grade separation from other traffic. Rapid transit systems are typically located either in underground tunnels or on...
system of the city train
Hamburg S-Bahn
The Hamburg S-Bahn is a railway network for public rapid mass transit in the Hamburg Metropolitan Region. Together the S-Bahn, the Hamburg U-Bahn, the AKN railway and the regional railway form the backbone of railway public transport in the city and the surrounding area...
with the Wilhelmsburg station.
The islands of Wilhelmsburg, Steinwerder, Veddel and Kleiner Grasbrook are connected via numerous bridges. The main connections to other parts of Hamburg are the Hamburger Elbbrücken (Hamburg Elbe Bridges) which consist of the Norder- und Süderelbbrücken (Northern and Southern Elbe Bridges), that connect Wilhelmsburg with the City Center of Hamburg in the north and with the quarter of Harburg in the south, the Kattwyk-Bridge (world's largest vertical lift bridge) in the southwest and the Köhlbrand Bridge
Köhlbrandbrücke
The Köhlbrand Bridge is a cable-stayed bridge in Hamburg, Germany, which connects the harbour area on the island of Wilhelmsburg between the Norderelbe and Süderelbe branches of the Elbe river with motorway 7 . It bridges the Süderelbe, here called Köhlbrand, before it unites with the Norderelbe...
which is a major connection from Wilhelmsburg to the nearby motorway 7 and the New Elbe Tunnel in the northwest.
According to the Department of Motor Vehicles (Kraftfahrt-Bundesamt), in the quarter Wilhelmsburg were 13,714 private cars registered (280 cars/1,000 people).