Geesthacht up to the Elbe river!
(Schleswig-Holstein)
This project has been put into the archive. The project details will not be updated anymore.
Source: bfö Büro für Öffentlichkeitsarbeit; Hamburg
Geesthacht (approx. pop. 29.000) is situated roughly 30 km upriver from Hamburg along the Elbe. The river Elbe has had a defining influence on the Geesthacht townscape for many centuries. Gesthaacht’s economic orientation towards the river began with the 19th century development of river navigation. By the middle of the 19th century, the harbour and shipyards had achieved translocal significance and hence determined the local economy and townscape. In the wake of the decline of inland and excursion navigation and closure of the shipyard, the Elbe peninsula lost its importance for the town in the 1960s. In recent decades, the harbour basin and shipyard peninsula were hardly used. Most of the area had fallen into complete disuse. The wish for an urban expansion in the direction of the Elbe had surfaced as early as 1984 in the council’s development plans. In the 1990s, the council finallly started actively pursuing the revitalization of the derelict shipyard and harbour areas with the aim of bringing “Geesthacht up to the Elbe!”. Following the closure of the shipyard, the council acquired it in 1992 and took over the harbour from the Schleswig Holstein State authorities. Jointly with a planned inner city redevelopment, the shipyard project is Geesthacht’s most ambitious urban development project of recent decades. In connection with the mooring point construction, the municipal authorities have initiated a cooperation with neighbouring Elbe communities. Their common aim is to boost the competitiveness of the recreation area situated between Dömitz and Hamburg. To achieve this, „Elbe-related“ tourism potentials (culture/nature/water) are to be activated and the scenic and cultural sights and experiences are to be integrated into a network. A special emphasis is placed on the cooperation with hotel and catering operations, agriculture, horticulture, skilled trades and culture. The cooperative efforts will particularly focus on enhancing passenger navigation in connection with public transport and bicycle traffic (Elbe river cycling route) and developing the infrastructure for water-related leisure activities.
Source: bfö Büro für Öffentlichkeitsarbeit; Hamburg
The project site measures approximately 35 ha and is located south of the inner city. The area embraces the northern embankment, the eastern arm of the old harbour and the former shipyard peninsula. Most of the plots are in public ownership.
The very first ideas for the project site were generated in future workshops and later concretized via the EUROPAN competition and the subsequent expert opinion procedure. The venture comprises various part projects for housing, tourist infrastructure, public spaces and green areas, as well as paths for walking, cycling and horseriding. In a first phase, over 40 apartments and 10 business operations are to be settled and integrated in the existing forests and tree populations. From the Elbe bank across the peninsula and the harbour up to the Elbe road, a new connection is being established between the town centre and the river by stringing up a multifunctional square, a waterside promenade, seating terraces, a sporting boat harbour, a harbour bridge, a riverside park and a ship mooring point.
Towards the town centre, this new axis is accommodated with improved visual and pedestrian connections and realized via functional and structural enhancements of squares and street spaces, traffic infrastructure and structural facilities. A particular focus is on the redesign of the St. Salvatoris church neighbourhood. In this case, urban development grants could be mobilized by dedicating the area a redevelopment site. The committee „Art River Geesthacht" was established to advise the project.
Sports and leisure amenities are integrated in the initiative of eleven neighbouring Elbe communities who have amalgamated to form the "Elbe Glacial Valley Region” in order to develop the river-related tourism potentials of water, nature and culture. Key aspects of the initiative include the reactivation of passenger navigation and the development of water sports, walking and cycling infrastructures.
The range of participants includes local schools, local as well as regional culture organizations, shipping operations in the environs, national and international spatial design experts from various disciplines, the neighbouring communities on both sides of the river, television corporations, local businesses, politicians and town residents from various generations.
| Year | Event |
|---|---|
| 1992 | The council buys the harbour and shipyard peninsula |
| 1998 | Future workshops, advisory development council “Geesthacht up to the Elbe!” |
| 1999 | EUROPAN competition |
| 2000 | Ideas plan of both competition winners |
| 2001 | Investor competition “Living in the Poplar Grove” |
| 2002 | Start of the development of the sports boat harbour |
| 2002 | Construction of a harbour bridge to the shipyard peninsula and seating terraces in the harbour |
| 2002 | Foundation of the committee “Art River Geesthacht” |
| 2003 | Construction of a multifunctional square and ship mooring point |
| 2004 | Construction of the riverside park |
| 2004 | Construction of the connecting axis to the Elbe and supplementary buildings |
| 2005 | Housing development in the „Poplar Grove“ |
| 2005 | Modernization of the city park “Hachede” for green area networking |
Source: bfö Büro für Öffentlichkeitsarbeit; Hamburg
Source: bfö Büro für Öffentlichkeitsarbeit; Hamburg
Source: bfö Büro für Öffentlichkeitsarbeit; Hamburg
The project „Geesthacht rp to the Elbe!“ successfully upgraded an area that had fallen into disuse and create new values for the town and its residents in the process. Historical, spatial, functional and mental connections linking the town, its people and the river were reconstructed.
Creating perspective lines to the river and performing an artistic analysis of the public spaces in the connecting areas to the Elbe ensured that the resulting link between the waterway and the town is of a varied nature, that the residential quality is upgraded and that the town centre's importance and function is enhanced in a sustainable fashion.
A cross-community cooperation was depended on to compensate for a lost economic base by developing new value creation potentials. The varied cooperation structures proved to be exemplary even in the very early stages.
The project location can be directly translated into Google-maps. Project in Google-Maps
The projekt site ist to be found at postal code: 21502 - town: Geesthacht - street: Werftstraße 10.
Record inserted on 29.11.2005 by the Federal Institute for Research on Building, Urban Affairs and Spatial Development (BBSR) within the Federal Office for Building and Regional Planning (BBR).
Last update: 09.04.2010
