Freiheit(en) hinter hohen Wällen. Ambivalenzen in der vormodernen Wahrnehmung der neuzeitlichen Stadtbefestigungen in Hamburg

In November 1860, the Parliament of Hamburg decided not to keep the long outdated facility of closing the city gates between sunset and sunrise. The Middle Ages were over. // To this day, however, it remains to be explained that the decision to permanently open the gates was by no means unanimous: The council, now operating as the Senate under the new constitution, had pleaded for maintaining the gate lock - as did 45 MPs and thus around one Quarter of the ultimately decisive citizenship. In any case, even after 1861, it was still possible in these committees - despite the iron grilles that remained open at night - to prevent the abolition of the inner-city excise line and the implementation of freedom of trade for a few more years. Where did the resistance come from?