Port of Malmö 1894

Historically speaking, Malmö has had no natural deep harbor except for a small channel with a depth of two meters to the east of the older part of Malmö towards Kirseberget. The channel disappeared during the 18th century and right up until the end of the century, a long wooden jetty that stretched out into the sea was used instead to bring goods into Malmö from neighboring ships. 

However, the jetty was not a sustainable solution and the forces of the weather in the form of wind, waves and ice tore hard at the jetty. The repairs were so frequent that Christian IV created an extra bridge tax to finance the maintenance. 

Ships with a draft greater than two meters had to anchor far out in the Sound, where they were exposed to storms. The first "real" harbor began to be built at the end of the 18th century with the goal that large boats could dock directly at the pier to avoid intermediate loading. 

By 1820, work had progressed to the point that the harbor now had two stable piers and a water depth of up to four meters at the deepest part. Twenty years later in the 1840s, the harbor basin was widened and the area around the harbor was walled in.

In 1856, the railway station in Malmö was inaugurated and it had a huge impact on the importance of the port, now passengers could go directly from the train to the Copenhagen ferry or further towards the continent. 

Photographer: Axel Sjöberg | Created: 1894.

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