Attraction · Hamburg · Updated on 1 November 2026.

Bismarck-Denkmal in Hamburg

Bismarck-Denkmal is an attraction in Hamburg, Germany. This place has a story in the app. 22 of the 50 well-known points of interest nearby are within 1 km. Within 270 m you'll find a bench, a public toilet and a water point.

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The story

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Story · Bismarck-Denkmal

You're standing in the Alte Elbpark in Hamburg, just above the harbour's Landungsbrücken piers. In front of you towers a giant made of stone: Otto von Bismarck, Germany's first chancellor. After he died in 1898, hundreds of Bismarck monuments went up across Germany, and this is the biggest of them all. Pedestal included, it stands 34.3 metres tall. The figure alone is almost fifteen metres.

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Photo: Wikimedia Commons · Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 3.0View the photo on Wikimedia Commons

Bismarck-Denkmal Hamburg: the largest monument to Otto von Bismarck

The Bismarck-Denkmal in Hamburg is a major attraction dating from 1901. The statue depicts Otto von Bismarck. It is the largest monument to him. You will find the Bismarck-Denkmal in Hamburg in the Alte Elbpark, just above the Landungsbrücken harbour landings. The Hauptkirche St. Michaelis is 457 metres away.

What you can see at the Bismarck-Denkmal

You are standing before a stone giant of Otto von Bismarck, which together with its pedestal stands 34.3 metres high. The statue itself measures almost 15 metres and leans on a sword 10 metres long. Its gaze is directed westwards over the Elbe. The monument weighs around 625 tonnes and is made up of 100 blocks of granite. The head alone is nearly 2 metres high. At the foot of the statue you will see figures representing tribes. Beneath the monument lie passages that once served as an air-raid shelter for 650 people. If you look closely, you will notice that the statue leans about 9 centimetres. You can walk all the way around the pedestal and look out over the harbour from here.

The history of the Bismarck Monument

On this spot once stood the Elb-Pavillon, a building dating from 1806. It was demolished in 1901 to make way for the monument. Banker Max von Schinckel and other wealthy Hamburgers raised the funds, and 239 designs were submitted for the competition. Architect Johann Emil Schaudt and sculptor Hugo Lederer won the contest. The monument is built in art-nouveau architecture. In July 1905, a team of 16 horses pulled the monument through the city to its site, and it was unveiled on 2 June 1906. The figures at the base were not installed until 1908, because the granite cost more than planned. In 1939 and 1940, the passages beneath the monument served as an air-raid shelter for around 650 people.

Drinking water, toilets and benches near the Bismarck-Denkmal

You'll find drinking water near the Bismarck-Denkmal in Hamburg, 268 metres away at Millerntorplatz. There are 3 water points within 500 metres. A free public toilet is 267 metres from the Bismarck-Denkmal, also at Millerntorplatz, and there are 12 public toilets within 500 metres in total. There are plenty of benches near the Bismarck-Denkmal in Hamburg. The nearest bench is 54 metres away, at Alter Elbpark, and 106 benches stand within a radius of 500 metres.

Walking near the Bismarck-Denkmal

The Bismarck-Denkmal is within walking distance of several attractions. The Hauptkirche St. Michaelis is 457 metres away. Continuing on foot, you reach the Speicherstadt after 1,119 metres and the Elbphilharmonie after 1,152 metres. Miniatur Wunderland is also close by, at 1,245 metres. The Rathaus is 1,362 metres from the Bismarck-Denkmal. An audio story can be listened to at all of these places.

Facilities near Bismarck-Denkmal

The nearest pitstop of each kind within 1 km, as the crow flies. No bike pump or honesty box within 1 km.

Well-known points of interest nearby

50 well-known points of interest nearby, those with an audio tour first. 22 of the 50 well-known points of interest nearby are within 1 km.

AttractionAudio story · 2 min

All 212 points of interest in Hamburg →

Also within walking distance

The 5 nearest points of interest with a story, within 2 km.

All 212 points of interest in Hamburg →

More about Otto von Bismarck

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Photo: Taxiarchos228 · Wikimedia Commons · FALView the photo on Wikimedia Commons
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