An Imperial Adventus into a City of Warehouses: History, Modernity, and Urbanity in the Symbolic and Material Construction of Hamburg's Free Port

Hamburg's Speicherstadt, a commercial district devoid of inhabitants, was symbolically constructed as a 'city' during its 1888 opening ceremony featuring Kaiser Wilhelm II. This study reveals that the district's neo-Gothic architecture and imperial adventus were designed to evoke premodern urbanity, countering fears of working-class dominance. The research argues that the Speicherstadt served as a modern reimagining of Hamburg's historical urban trade privileges, symbolically rebuilding the city's walls. By analyzing material, political, and symbolic elements, the study demonstrates how late-nineteenth-century political imaginaries framed urbanization processes, offering insights into the intersection of history, modernity, and urbanity.

Heerten, L. (2024). An Imperial Adventus into a City of Warehouses: History, Modernity, and Urbanity in the Symbolic and Material Construction of Hamburg’s Free Port. Central European History, 57(3), 311–337. https://doi.org/10.1017/s0008938923000845