diff --git a/webapp/middleware/searchHashtag.js b/webapp/middleware/searchHashtag.js
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..a1bdda7e9
--- /dev/null
+++ b/webapp/middleware/searchHashtag.js
@@ -0,0 +1,16 @@
+import { exec, build } from 'xregexp/xregexp-all.js'
+
+export default async ({ store, env, route, redirect }) => {
+  let publicPages = env.publicPages
+  // only affect non public pages
+  if (publicPages.indexOf(route.name) >= 0) {
+    return true
+  }
+
+  const regX = build('^/search/hashtag/((\\pL+[\\pL0-9]*)|([0-9]+\\pL+[\\pL0-9]*))$')
+  const matchHashtag = exec(decodeURI(route.name), regX)
+
+  if (!matchHashtag) return true
+
+  return redirect(`/?hashtag=${encodeURI(matchHashtag[0])}`)
+}
diff --git a/webapp/nuxt.config.js b/webapp/nuxt.config.js
index 858294f37..5942d34e0 100644
--- a/webapp/nuxt.config.js
+++ b/webapp/nuxt.config.js
@@ -123,7 +123,7 @@ export default {
   ],
 
   router: {
-    middleware: ['authenticated', 'termsAndConditions'],
+    middleware: ['authenticated', 'termsAndConditions', 'searchHashtag'],
     linkActiveClass: 'router-link-active',
     linkExactActiveClass: 'router-link-exact-active',
     scrollBehavior: (to, _from, savedPosition) => {
diff --git a/webapp/pages/search/hashtag/_id.vue b/webapp/pages/search/hashtag/_id.vue
deleted file mode 100644
index 38364d86f..000000000
--- a/webapp/pages/search/hashtag/_id.vue
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,13 +0,0 @@
-<template>
-  <div></div>
-</template>
-
-<script>
-export default {
-  mounted() {
-    let { id: hashtag } = this.$route.params
-    // 'hashtag' seems automatically to be 'decodeURI' (on macOS Firefox). Don't know if this is always the case.
-    this.$router.push({ path: '/', query: { hashtag: encodeURI(hashtag) } })
-  },
-}
-</script>