1611/5371. Cemeteries on Königstrasse Landmarks of Jewish History

Portuguese Jews had been living in Hamburg since the end of the 16^th century. However, they were prohibited by the city from establishing a burial ground on Hamburg soil. So they moved to neighboring Altona. On May 31, 1611, three Portuguese merchants purchased a plot of land on the Altona Heuberg from the local ruler Ernst III von Schauenburg in order to establish a cemetery there and bury the dead according to their customs. A few years later, the Ashkenazi Congregation of Altona acquired a burial ground in the immediate vicinity.

Both cemeteries were expanded several times until their closure in 1869. Aproximately 2,000 burials took place in the Portuguese cemetery and 7,000 in the Ashkenazi cemetery. Important rabbis and members of the Jewish congregation were buried here.