Around 1900 Hamburg is one of the most important European emigration ports. Eastern Europeans in particular board a ship here. The destination:America. Between 1850 and 1934 alone, five million emigrants started this journey.
by Janine Kuehl
Previously, people mainly used Rotterdam, Antwerp and Le Havre as the starting point for ocean crossings. But in the course of the growing migration flows from Eastern Europe, the steamer traffic from Hamburg and Bremen to North and South America is increasing rapidly.
Escape poverty - seek happiness
For millions of people, the awakening is associated with hope for freedom or prosperity.The motivation to emigrate is as diverse as the people themselves. In the middle of the 19th century, political reasons prevail, for example after the failed revolution of 1848 in the German states. With increasing industrialization, economic and social needs come to the fore. Pogroms against Jews in Russia, the threat of military service or a lower place in the line of inheritance drive people away from home.
Emigration in numbers
In 1856, the Hapag shipping company transported only 3,043 emigrants from Hamburg to New York. The number rose in waves to 66,862 in 1890. From 1903 onwards, more than 100,000 people continuously emigrated via the Hanseatic city each year. The wave peaked in 1913 with 192,733 emigrants.
Entry ban after outbreak of cholera
The majority of emigrants are Eastern Europeans who travel to Hamburg by train. But Germans, especially farmers and factory workers, are also making their way to the Hanseatic city. From there they travel to America on the steamships of the Hamburg Hapag shipping company, but usually have to wait a while for a free seat on board. Due to the large crowds, the city's private inns are often completely overcrowded. However, emigration experienced a significant break in 1892. With the outbreak of cholera, the Hamburg Senate imposed rigorous entry bans, so that emigrant traffic in the Hanseatic city came to an abrupt halt.
The Hamburg shipowner Albert Ballin had the emigrant halls built on the Veddel.This means a great loss for the Hapag shipping company. After tough negotiations with the Senate, Director General Albert Ballin succeeds in allowing emigrants to enter the Hanseatic city again from 1893. However, the emigrants now have to undergo a medical check before they are even allowed to enter the country. From then on, the people of Hamburg eyed Russians in particular with suspicion, as they blamed them for the outbreak of the great cholera epidemic.
Ballin has the "city within the city" built
Above all, Eastern European emigrants emigrated via Hamburg, who often had to wait several weeks for their embarkation.The city can hardly cope with the growing number of so-called transit migrants from Eastern Europe. Ballin now finds a solution that relieves the logis houses and the previously used barracks, keeps emigrants out of the city as far as possible and, last but not least, gives his ships excellent utilization. From 1901, the resourceful businessman had several emigrant halls built on the Elbe island of Veddel. Until 1907, the site is constantly being expanded. A "city within the city" is created. A total of 30 buildings can accommodate up to 5,000 people. Jewish emigrants are specifically recruited. They have a synagogue, their own dormitories and dining halls where kosher food is served.
Between barracks and "all inclusive" care
Without the necessary papers such as passport, visa and ticket, emigration was not possible.The emigrants often stay in the emigrant halls for several weeks before they can finally board a ship. 150 employees ensure that the tightly structured everyday life on the site works. For two marks a day, an emigrant gets a bed and three meals. The emigrants sleep in relatively spacious dormitories with high ceilings, so the air here is better than in the old barracks that were previously at their disposal. A music band and a small shop provide variety. Worship services in church and synagogue absorb fears and worries. In addition, religious organizations not only provide pastoral care, but also provide practical help in obtaining documents or in the event of communication difficulties.
Embarkation for healthy people only
The "Imperator" was launched in 1912 and sailed for the Hapag shipping company on the Hamburg-New York route.Hygienic controls have a decisive impact on life in the emigrant halls. As soon as they arrive, the emigrants have to bathe and undergo a medical examination. Only when clothing and luggage have been disinfected can the emigrant move into the dormitory. During the entire stay there are numerous other visits. Shortly before embarkation, a final health test decides who is actually allowed to start the journey. These coercive measures, along with the curfew imposed on certain groups of emigrants, particularly Russians, leave many feeling barracked. However, protests remain selective and have no effect.
An annual salary for the crossing
The steerage passengers were only allowed on deck at certain times of the day to get some fresh air.On smaller ships for up to 300 people, the so-called tenders, the emigrants are taken to Stade or Cuxhaven, where they can finally board the overseas liner. Because of their great draft, the ocean giants cannot navigate further upstream on the Elbe. The passage on a steamship usually takes two weeks, later on the fast steamers only nine days. Most of the emigrants travel on the windowless steerage for 160 marks. The sum roughly corresponds to the annual salary of a worker. In return, the passengers on the steerage deck get little:Poor ventilation, lack of space, wet conditions and the consequences of seasickness make things difficult for people. They are only allowed on deck to a limited extent, not at all during a storm.
Ellis Island:Gateway to the New World
The sight of the Statue of Liberty in New York meant the end of a long and arduous journey for the emigrants.The first destination in the USA is Ellis Island, off the coast of New York. Here, the emigrants have to undergo health checks again before they are finally allowed to enter the land of their dreams. Those who are refused entry must return to their old homeland on the next ship at the expense of the shipping company. In 1907, 48,000 emigrants returned to Hamburg. A small number have been refused entry, but most come voluntarily:They have made a small or large fortune overseas.
From POW camp to shelter
The "Ballinstadt" adventure museum is located on the historic site of the emigration halls.192,733 emigrants set off from Hamburg in 1913 - more than ever before. Just a few months later, the outbreak of the First World War put a stop to emigration. In the mid-1920s, the emigration halls became the "Überseeheim". Elevated comfort should meet the higher demands of the now mostly German emigrants. In 1934, part of the halls became the property of the SS, later the entire site was used as a prisoner of war camp. After the war, the buildings serve as shelters for people from Hamburg who were bombed out. In 1962 the buildings were demolished, only Pavilion No. 13/14 remained. A truck stop has had its branch here for many years. At the beginning of the 1980s, a Portuguese restaurant moved into the hall. In 2005, almost 100 years after the emigrant halls were built, the cornerstone for the "BallinStadt" adventure museum was laid.