The end of an era: the Czech port in Hamburg is being built over!

The end of an era: the Czech port in Hamburg is being built over!

The Czech port in Hamburg looks back on a long and eventful history. Since 1929, the port has been a center for Elbe shipping, close to the Elbe bridges, where the new Grasbrook district is now being built. The port experienced its heyday in the 1970s and 80s. Today, however, the situation is dismal: the harbor basins are heavily silted up and ships can no longer dock. The Czech port will soon be a thing of the past.

The port was created after the First World War as part of the Treaty of Versailles, which granted the Czechs duty-free access to the sea. The area, for which a lease agreement with a term of 99 years was signed, stretched over 28,540 square meters. The historic Article 363 of the treaty granted Czechoslovakia rights to trade goods, and the port took advantage of the Elbe's potential. Products such as coffee, cocoa and industrial goods were transshipped here, and the transport infrastructure provided a solid basis for Czech inland shipping.

Of heydays and dwindling interest

Harald Hintz, who worked in the Czech port for 16 years, fondly remembers the diverse activities during his time. It was a great time with lots of Czech inland waterways and the club ship “Praha”, which not only served as a tease but also as an event location. At its peak, over 600 inland vessels from the Czechoslovak Elbe Shipping Company (ČSPLO) were at the start. But after the political change in the late 1980s, the downward trend began, which reached a sad climax in 2001 with the bankruptcy of ČSPLO. After the bankruptcy in Prague, the club ship “Praha” found a new purpose as a hotel ship.

The closure of the port not only ends an era, but also opens up new opportunities. Since the lease runs until November 2028, the city of Hamburg plans to integrate the site into the new Grasbrook district by then at the latest. 3,000 apartments and 16,000 jobs are to be created here. A new Vltava Harbor Bridge is planned for 2026 to connect the new district and reorganize traffic.

Importance of inland shipping for Hamburg

Inland shipping plays a central role for the economy in northern Germany. A recent study commissioned Port of Hamburg Marketing to determine the influence of the northern and northeastern German inland waterway network. The results of this study not only have a positive impact on the hinterland traffic of the Port of Hamburg, but also fit seamlessly into the new port development that is included in the 2040 Port Development Plan.

The Port development plan, which was passed by the Hamburg Senate on June 13, 2023, makes it clear that port policy is aimed at Germany's long-term economic strength and security of supply. Global trends and social developments are taken into account in order to further strengthen the port as a hub of trade flows.

The planning around the Czech Port and Grasbrook shows that despite the change in use, the importance of the port for Hamburg remains as high as ever. The site will remain part of the port area and will be incorporated into new, forward-looking concepts.