Anniversary sham

Every year on May 7, Hamburg throws a party. Allegedly, on May 7, 1189, Emperor Frederick Barbarossa issued the city a charter, which is considered to be the harbor's birth certificate.

According to the charter, the people of Hamburg, "with their ships, goods and manning, are to be free of any duties or tariffs..."

It was under the emperor's protection, formulated in the charter, that the city was able to build up strong international trade relations.

Fortunately for the city's development, it wasn't until 1982 that the charter was proven to be a fake - long after Hamburg had established itself as one of Europe's most important commercial ports.

Imperfect historical trick

"The charter dated May 7, 1189 actually originated in the 1360s, at a time when there was a disagreement between Hamburg and the Archbishop of Bremen over duties on the Elbe River," said Hans-Dieter Loose, a former director of Hamburg's public records office.

When the archbishop demanded proof that the people of Hamburg were exempt from duties, the city's scribes prepared and conveniently pre-dated the charter, added Loose.

Their counterfeit work was apparently so well done that historians didn't begin expressing doubts about its authenticity until the 19th century.

Though the charter itself claimed that Barbarossa had signed it in Neunburg, historians knew from other sources that the emperor was actually in Regensburg on that day, preparing for the Third Crusade into the Holy Land.

"It was feared that, if doubts were cast on the document, which was so important for (Hamburg's) status as a free imperial city, then the position of the city within the empire could be endangered," said Loose.

Experts also discovered that the 14th-century Hamburg scribes hadn't thoroughly done their homework and used the wrong royal seal to give the document a final official touch. Instead of Barbarossa's, they imitated the seal of his grandson Frederick II.

World's biggest harbor festival

Despite the fraudulent origins of its charter, the harbor quickly became - and stayed - Hamburg's centerpiece. Celebrating the May 7 anniversary, however, is a modern marketing gag, as the city seeks to improve its image as a tourist destination.

Over a million people are expected to join in the festivities, which include a Nintendo truck tour, a windjammer show, a tugboat ballet, and specially printed birthday t-shirts.

The only thing that's missing at the party is a tribute to the counterfeit behind it. But celebrators who look closely will find a statue of Earl Adolph von Schauenburg on the Trost Bridge in the harbor.

It was his idea to write the bogus charter that secured Hamburg's safety centuries ago.

Author: Michael Marek (kjb)

Editor: Sean Sinico