Denkmal für die Flut von 1771

The first public monument in Hamburg marks the flood of 1771. It stands today as a simple stone marker near the Oberhafen bridge, close to where the Elbe’s waters once reached their highest point. A low plinth supports a plain obelisk topped by an urn, a design typical of 18th-century mourning monuments.

The flood began after weeks of heavy rain swelled the Elbe until dykes broke on 8 July 1771. Water poured across the Vier- und Marschlande and Hammerbrook, reaching the city’s edge by 21 July. The inscription on the obelisk records the date and the height the water attained at the Deichtor gate.

Visitors find the small monument beside the northern abutment of the Oberhafenbrücke. A modern plaque nearby explains its history. The surrounding area, rebuilt after wartime destruction, shows little trace of the inundation, yet the stone remains to recall the disaster.