Teufelsbrück (''

Devil's Bridge Devil's Bridge is a term applied to dozens of ancient bridges, found primarily in Europe. Most of these bridges are stone or masonry arch bridges and represent a significant technological achievement in ancient architecture. Due to their unusu ...

'') is the name of the area around the mouth of Flottbek stream into River

Elbe The Elbe ( ; ; or ''Elv''; Upper Sorbian, Upper and , ) is one of the major rivers of Central Europe. It rises in the Giant Mountains of the northern Czech Republic before traversing much of Bohemia (western half of the Czech Republic), then Ge ...

Hamburg Hamburg (, ; ), officially the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg,. is the List of cities in Germany by population, second-largest city in Germany after Berlin and List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, 7th-lar ...

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

. It is located in the local subdistrict of

Klein Flottbek Klein Flottbek (''Small Flottbek'') is a sub-urban district and neighbourhood in the quarters of Nienstedten, Othmarschen and Osdorf, located in the Altona borough of Hamburg, Germany. Unlike neighbouring Groß Flottbek, the former municipality ...

and today belongs partly to the quarters of

Othmarschen Othmarschen () is a quarter in the Altona borough of Hamburg in northern Germany. In 2020 the population was 16,009. History The first records on Othmarschen are from 1317. Together with Altona, Othmarschen became a part of Hamburg in 1937/1938 ...

and

Nienstedten Nienstedten () is a quarter in the city of Hamburg, Germany. It belongs to the Altona borough on the right bank of the Elbe river. Nienstedten is home to the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea. In 2020 the population was 7,114. Geogr ...

. Initially, ''Teufelsbrück'' was the name of the bridge of the street of

Elbchaussee The Elbchaussee () is a famous thoroughfare of Hamburg, Germany, joining the city's western Boroughs and quarters of Hamburg, Elbe suburbs (''Elbvororte'') Othmarschen, Nienstedten and Blankenese with Altona, Hamburg, Altona and Hamburg-Mitte, Hamb ...

over the Flottbek stream; later it was used for the area itself, including the nearby ferry pier and marina. The area lies south of the

Jenisch park The Jenisch Park is the oldest landscaped park in Hamburg, Germany, located in the Othmarschen quarter at the Geest shore of River Elbe. Of the area of 43 ha (110 acres), 8 are a protected. Two museums, Jenisch House and Ernst Barlach House, are l ...

Name

The name goes back to an old legend. At the ford of the Flottbek stream, wagons frequently had accidents caused by broken wheels, so the inhabitants blamed the devil for it. A carpenter was assigned to build a bridge. But he made a pact with the devil and promised him the soul of the first creature crossing the bridge. On the day of inauguration, after a priest had blessed the bridge and the devil was looking forward for a human victim, the county councillor and the priest had a debate who should cross the bridge first. Meanwhile, a rabbit accidentally crossed it and the disappointed devil disappeared into the river.Teufelsbrück
Bürgerverein Nienstedten This legend exists in similar form also for other bridges in Germany (see :de:Brickegickel), as well as for the Teufelsbrücke in Schöllenen Gorge,

Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...

. A statue made of stone refers to the legend at Teufelsbrück. Earlier statues at this place were made of wood, but were stolen several times.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Teufelsbruck Bridges in Hamburg Altona, Hamburg