Our (historical) search for Nazi eagles continues. While we thoroughly covered the history of the german heraldic eagle, from its use as the Reichsadler in the early 900s up until today as the Bundesadler in our post “The Nazi Eagles of Berlin” – we will refrain from rehashing its history in this piece. As we’ve already extensively documented the remaining Nazi Eagles in Berlin, as well as in the state of Brandenburg – we’ve started documenting the remaining Nazi Eagles in Hamburg.
Disclaimer
If an address is not given for an Eagle, it is done so on purpose. If you do have a question regarding one of the publicly listed locations ask away. If you know of an Eagle that we’ve missed out on, feel free to leave a comment so we can continue to complete the list. It goes without saying that our interest in these Eagles/Symbols is purely historical, and in no way do we condone or support any fascist or racist ideology.
A short history of Hamburgs Bunkers
Few cities in Germany were as heavily fortified with bunkers during the second world war as Hamburg. While Nazi government had initially assumed that the pre-existing civilian shelters were adequate enough, the increasing allied air raids over Berlin and other cities quickly changed their mind. By 1940, the Nazis introduced the “Führer-Sofortprogramm” – which sought to speed up the construction of air raid shelters for (initially) all cities with over 100,000 residents.
Despite its ports, Hamburg played a relatively minor industrial role in Germany up until the early 1930s. Only with the Nazis rise to power, and the heavy investment (and subsidisation) in rearmament programs – specifically large shipyards and petroleum production – did Hamburg become an industrial center, and a lucrative air raid target for the allies.
In 1940, Hamburg only had enough shelters to protect roughly 3% of its inhabitants, by 1943, this had jumped to 22%, in addition to two thirds of all the cities cellars having been fortified. It is estimated that over 1200 shelters and bunkers had been constructed in Hamburg until the end of the war, with 650 of them still accessible/intact to this day.
The reason we bring up Hamburgs bunkers is (not just because we are fascinated by them) because many of them were “denazified” after the war – having their swastikas removed, yet their eagles left intact. Many of the eagles on this list are located at the entrances of a so-called “Zombeck-Turm” – an air raid shelter resembling a medieval tower. 11 of these so called Zombeck-Türme were built in Hamburg, 9 of which still stand today.
The Nazi Eagles of Hamburg
Unlike Berlin, Hamburgs Nazi Eagle locations can be broken down into (primarily) three locations: Bunkers, Memorials, and Barracks. And unlike Berlin or Munich (or the rest of Bavaria), it seems like they did a relatively thorough job of scrubbing the city of the majority of Nazi iconography after the war – though a few controversial pieces still remain. *We are currently missing at least 3 Eagles in Hamburg which we will add to this list the next time we visit Hamburg.
No. 01 Reichsadler In situ
Kriegerdenkmal Pinneberg
A Reichsadler atop the Kriegerdenkmal Pinneberg
- Dated
- 1934
- Address
- Rockvillestraße, 25421 Pinneberg
- Area
- Pinneberg
Current status: The wreath underneath the eagle originally had a swastika in the middle, which was replaced with an iron cross after the war. The memorial is opposite of the Pinneberg Train station and is publicly accessible.
No. 02 Reichsadler In situ
Zombeck-Turm Vorsetzen
A Reichsadler on the Zombeck-Turm air raid shelter at Vorsetzen
- Dated
- 1940
- Then
- Air raid shelter
- Now
- Portuguese restaurant
- Address
- Vorsetzen 70, 20459 Hamburg
No. 03 Reichsadler In situ
Zombeck-Turm Billhorner Brückenstraße
A Reichsadler on the Zombeck-Turm air raid shelter at the Billhorner Brückenstraße
- Dated
- 1940/41
- Then
- Air raid shelter
- Now
- Recording studio
- Address
- Billhorner Brückenstraße 41, 20539 Hamburg
No. 04 Reichsadler In situ
Zombeck-Turm Hasselbrook
A Reichsadler on the Zombeck-Turm air raid shelter in Hasselbrook
- Dated
- 1940
- Then
- Air raid shelter
- Now
- Empty (previously used by multiple businesses)
- Address
- Hasselbrookstraße 174, 22089 Hamburg
- Area
- Hasselbrook
No. 05 Reichsadler In situ
Zombeck-Turm Barmbek
A Reichsadler on the Zombeck-Turm air raid shelter in Barmbek
- Dated
- 1939/40
- Then
- Air raid shelter
- Now
- Empty
- Address
- Wiesendamm 7, 22305 Hamburg
- Area
- Barmbek
There is a nice historical display in front of the tower.
No. 06 Reichsadler In situ
Former General Command of the Wehrmacht
Former Headquarters of the General command of the Wehrmacht Hamburg
- Dated
- 1937
- Then
- Wehrmacht General Command
- Now
- Luxury apartments
- Address
- Sophienterrasse 14, 20149 Hamburg
No. 07 Reichsadler In situ
Douaumont Barracks
A Reichsadler at the former Douaumont Barracks
- Dated
- 1936
- Then
- Douaumont Barracks
- Now
- Helmut Schmidt University (military research university)
- Address
- Holstenhofweg 85, 22043 Hamburg
No. 08 Reichsadler In situ
Lettow-Vorbeck Barracks (No. 3)
A Reichsadler at the former Lettow-Vorbeck Barracks
- Dated
- 1935
- Then
- Lettow-Vorbeck Barracks
- Now
- Police, private apartments and university housing
- Address
- Hermine-Albers-Straße 3, 22045 Hamburg
No. 09 Reichsadler In situ
Lettow-Vorbeck Barracks (No. 5)
A Reichsadler in a relief at the former Lettow-Vorbeck Barracks
- Dated
- 1935
- Then
- Lettow-Vorbeck Barracks
- Now
- Police, private apartments and university housing
- Address
- Hermine-Albers-Straße 5, 22045 Hamburg
Additional Nazi Iconography in Hamburg
Like many other German cities that fell into the western occupied zones after the end of the second world war, the denazification and removal of national socialist iconography in the public sphere was less than thorough when compared to their soviet occupied counterparts. While the majority of the publicly visible swastikas were removed, many of the monuments that they graced, alongside other heavily tainted national socialist monuments were left standing.
Aside from Berlin and Munich, Hamburg seems to have the largest surviving inheritance of Nazi-era “art” (for a lack of a better word) that I have come across so far, and I felt like it would be appropriate to add this little section here. Due to time constraints, I have not been able to photograph/document all of my “findings”, though I will continuously update this list when I visit Hamburg the next time.
No. A1 Kriegerdenkmal In situ
Kriegerdenkmal | 76er Denkmal
A memorial to the soldiers of the Infantry Regiment “Hamburg” (2nd Hanseatic) No. 76
- Dated
- 1936
- Address
- Stephansplatz / Dammtordamm, 20354 Hamburg
Background: A memorial dedicated to soldiers of the Infantry Regiment “Hamburg” (2nd Hanseatic) No. 76 who died in the first world war. The memorial was proposed in 1934, and built in 1936 (by Richard Kuöhl) as direct response to an already existing WWI Memorial nearby depicting a grieving mother with a child. The first memorial, designed by Ernst Barlach, was heavily despised by conservative and right wing elements, who wanted a more militaristic, heroic memorial – rather than one that symbolised grief.
British Occupation Forces wanted to demolish the memorial after the end of the war – as its iconography as well as its front facing inscription „Deutschland muss leben und wenn wir sterben müssen“ (Germany must live, even if we must die) evoked the wrong kind of “patriotism”, though conservationists managed to stop this plan.
The memorial became a frequent rally point for both Nazis (its just a coincidence that there are 88 soldiers on the memorial) and anti war protestors, and after seemingly never ending controversies and complaints, a second “counter” anti war memorial was unveiled next to it in 1983. A third memorial, dedicated to military deserters and other victims of nazi military justice, was unveiled on the location in 2015.
No. A2 Relief Altered
Pressehaus | Hamburger Tageblatt
The cog emblem of the Nazi party newspaper “Hamburger Tageblatt” on the Pressehaus
- Dated
- 1938
- Address
- Speersort 1, 20095 Hamburg
Background: Built in 1938, the Pressehaus was the purpose built headquarters of the “Hamburger Tageblatt” – a daily newspaper which was owned and run by the Nazi Party. The newspaper logo consisted of a Cog (a popular symbol in the Hanseatic city) with a swastika on its front sail.
The newspaper ran from 1931 until 1944 when it was merged with the two other remaining daily hamburg newspapers. The cog with its swastika on the side of the Pressehaus was designed by (again) Richard Kuöhl, who had become a popular artist among the Nazis, and who was more than happy to cater to their artistic requests. The swastika was removed more the piece in 1945, but the cog remains on the building to this day.
No. A3 Runes & Hakenkreuz In situ
Lutherkirche Wellingsbüttel
Runes and a swastika on the facades of the Lutherkirche
- Dated
- 1937
- Address
- Up de Worth 25, 22391 Hamburg
- Area
- Wellingsbüttel
Background: When the Nazis rose to power, they permeated virtually every facet of society, including both protestant and catholic churches. It should come as no surprise that the Nazis actively built and supported churches, adding in a specific blend of their own “germanic occultism”. An example of this is the Lutherkirche in Wellingsbüttel. The property on which the church stands includes a bronze age burial mound – which was also the reason why this location was picked for the church (to evoke a germanic connection).
When the church was completed in 1937, both the north and south facing facades had been decorated with an assortment of runes including an Algiz Rune, a Black Sun, and a Swastika. A very small and sparsely worded plaque was installed in 2012 on the floor underneath the swastika commemorating the victims between 1933 and 1945, though there are no explanations as to the meaning of the symbols or the history of the church.
No. A4 Relief Relocated 2003
“Askari-Reliefs”
Colonial reliefs that once flanked the entrance of the Lettow-Vorbeck Barracks
- Dated
- 1938
- Address
- Wilsonstraße 64-68, 22045 Hamburg
Background: Created by Walter von Ruckteschell, the “Askari Reliefs” once flanked the entrance of the adjacent Lettow-Vorbeck Barracks. The Lettow-Vorbeck Barracks was named after General von Lettow-Vorbeck who served as the commander of the German forces in East Africa during the first world war. The left panel depicts a German NCO with four armed Askari* in german uniform while the left panel depicts another Askari with four African porters carrying equipment. The work was meant to depict the “loyalty” of the african servicemen to their german masters.
The panels flanked the entrance of the barracks – which was used by the German Bundeswehr until 1999 – when they were moved to a small fenced in grass strip adjacent to the entrance in 2003. The reliefs are now accompanied by information panels giving context to their origin and symbolism. Sadly it doesnt seem like the park is open to the public and can only be visited by appointment.
*The term Askari was used by many European colonial powers for their local African soldiers
The history and symbolism of the Lettow-Vorbeck Barracks is quite interesting and deserves a full post by itself – which will be published at a later date.
No. A5 Building name In situ
“Trotha-Haus”
A barracks building named after Lothar von Trotha
- Dated
- 1938
- Address
- Wilsonstraße 69-65, 22045 Hamburg
Background: The baracks around the Lettow-Vorbeck complex were named after the german colonial heroes, such as Lettow-Vorbeck, Hermann von Wissmann and Lothar von Trotha. Trothas name sticks out from the rest, as he was responsible for the genocide of the Herero and Nama between 1904 and 1908 in todays Namibia.
It wasnt until 2015 that Germany officially labled the crimes committed between 1904 and 1908 as a genocide, and yet another 6 years to officially recognise it as such in 2021. After the Bundeswehr moved out, the Baracks were used by the Helmut Schmidt University as student accommodation. After persistent pressure from the Association of the Ovaherero Genocide in the USA, a plaque was installed at the entrance of the Troth Haus in 2018 giving context as to who the building was named after.
No. A6 Hakenkreuz In situ
Ohlsdorf Cemetery
Gravestones and burial markers with symbols and text from the Third Reich
- Dated
- 1933–1945
- Address
- Fuhlsbüttler Str. 756, 22337 Hamburg
- Area
- Ohlsdorf
Background: Dating back to 1877, the Ohlsdorf Cemetery is the fourth largest cemetery in the world as well as the largest garden cemetery in the world. Cemeteries are a fantastic mirror of the times they were built in, reflecting the styles, attitudes and beliefs of their inhabitants. With over 1.5 millions internments to date, it should come as to no surprise that the cemetery will also have dozens of gravestones and burial markers with symbols and text from the third reich.
While many graves have vanished over the years and several of them have been “sanitised”, there are still dozens of them in their original state spread throughout the cemetery, some more visible than others. We are working on a longer article about the Ohlsdorf Cemetery and will include all our findings in that piece.
Nazi Eagles Hamburg Map
We’ve created this map to help those of you who are interested in finding/looking at some of these Nazi Eagles in Hamburg for yourself. If you are interested in the Nazi Eagle locations in Berlin and Brandenburg, feel free to check out the map at the bottom on either of these articles: Berlin | Brandenburg | Cologne | Nuremberg | Munich
