Overview
- The Umweltbehörde, Bezirksamt Hamburg‑Mitte and Stadtreinigung confirmed they will stop work on the underground facility and fill the gutted area to restore normal use, including the Christmas market.
- An expert report found the contractor failed to install a watertight basin, after which water entered the structure and forced closure only months after a roughly €2.08 million refurbishment reopened in autumn 2023.
- Stadtreinigung Hamburg is examining recourse claims against the construction firm, and who ultimately bears the additional costs remains unresolved.
- The city plans an above‑ground, fully accessible "Toilette für Alle" within the planned Haus der digitalen Welt, with a temporary surface solution under review.
- City retailers and the new City Manager, Mimi Sewalski, had pressed for relief as the fenced site blighted a prime shopping area for about two years.