Bremerhaven Things to Do

Even more impressive, at least for me:
The Klimahaus.
Since Bremerhaven is on the 8th degree longitude, visitors in the Klimahaus follow this 8th degree around the globe. In Switzerland you get to melk a cow, then cross a glacier - this room is very, very cold. But once we were in Africa, I longed to be back on the glacier, it was unbelievably hot.
In the Pacific you see, hear and even smell the ocean, on the Hallig back in Europe you can stand in the middle of these tiny islands and watch the tide come in until your feet get wet.

I had checked what people said about the two museums, and many had complained about the Klimahaus,saying it was too expensive and the staff were very unfriendly. That's not what we experienced at all. Everybody was very friendly, the museum is extremely interesting and well worth the money.
Entrance fee was 14 Euro per adult.

Each visitor in the Auswandererhaus is assigned an emigrant and can follow his/her way into a new country, from the moment of saying good-bye to one's family and friend to the arrival in the unknown.
All these are real stories of real emigrants, not some fiction.

What impressed me most was the difference between third and first class on the big ocean liners which brought people across the Atlantic.

Entrance fee is 12,30 Euro per adult.

There are harbour tours on offer by boat (one hour), or harbour tours by bus (two hours), which drives into the container harbour and gives you an insight into the history of Bremerhaven. Both are very interesting and very different in the view and presentation of Bremerhaven today. I would certainly recommend going on one of the tours if you have the time. Travel by double-decker bus enjoying the city tour along the ocean mile of Bremerhaven!

The HafenBus travels through the overseas harbors , via the impressive Container Terminal, the Automobile Terminal and the Lloyd shipyard in the northern part of the city. In the past, due to security reasons no access to this industrial-commercial terrain was not possible for visitors. The operators were afraid that curious onlookers might interfere with the container bridges and van carriers. But this problem has been solved. One of the most fascinating sections of the harbor can now be admired at close range.

Departure times: from January 1 - March 30 and from November 5, 2007
- Mo. - Fr. 02:00 p.m., if necessary additional at 04:30 p.m.
- Sa./Su./official holiday 02:00 p.m., if necessary additional at 11:00 a.m. and 04:30 p.m.
Departure times: from March 31 - November 5, 2007
- Mo. - Fr. 02:00 p.m. and 04:30 p.m.
- Sa./Su./official holiday 11:00 a.m., 02:00 p.m. and 04:30 p.m.

Station 1. Shop Window Fishery Harbour (above mentioned departure time)
Station 2. National German Maritim Museum respectively 10 minutes after departure 1.
Station 3. Gatehouse 1 respectively 30 minutes after departure 1.
- Travel duration circa 120 minutes

Entrance fees/Conditions:
- Adults € 9,50
- Pensioners € 8,50
- Children/students/disabled persons € 7,00
- Families (2 adults + 2 children) € 24,00 (each additional child + € 2,50)

Tickets in the tourist information at the latest 20 minutes before departure or directly at the bus upon availability starting from 15 minutes before departure!

Important note: Visitors must hold a valid ID wihle staying in the international port area.

Deutsches Schiffahrtsmuseum

In connection with the collections of the museum and the historic surroundings, the park-like area with its large maritime objects on land and the vintage ships of the museum fleet in the Old Harbor forms a unique ensemble of German maritime history. The attractions of the German National Maritime Museum range from the world`s oldest boat and the Technical Museum Submarine „Wilhelm Bauer” to the only remaining Hansa cog of the Medival Era. The museum owns more than 500 model ships, including splendid, magnificent sailing ships intended to conquer colonies. Impressive whalers, two-masters and three-masters that carried the emigrants to their new homeland can also be admired. The new extension should not be overlooked either. Since 2000, it houses collections on the history of polar and marine research, fishing and whaling, raw materials from the sea, as well as the traditional craft of building boats from wood.

Opening hours:
- April 1 - October 31 daily from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
- November 1 - March 31, Tuesday - Sunday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. (closed on Mondays)
Entrance fees:
- Adults € 6,00
- Pupils/students/pensioners/unemployed persons/soldiers doing their basic military service/disabled persons with an official identity card € 4,00
- Children (above 5 years)/young persons (below 18 years) € 4,00
- Families (parents and children up to and including 17 years of age) 3-6 persons € 12,50
- Special tariff for primary and secondary school groups accompanied by their teachers; per person € 2,00

One of the most famous landmarks of Bremerhaven.

The oldest mainland lighthouse on the North Sea coast is still in service today and certainly one of the most beautiful lighthouses anywhere. It was built in 1853 by Simon Loschen, the architect of the Mayor Smidt memorial church. The lighthouse is a successful synthesis of the architectural styles of North German brick Gothic and concessions to the requirements of the age of technology. The lock leading to the New Harbor is located below the lighthouse.

Stroll along Bremerhaven’s Weser dyke – where the river Weser is almost the North Sea – between the harbors and the Geeste and enjoy incomparable views.

This is the harborside promenade that runs in front of the Columbusstrasse where you'll find shopping at the Columbus Center, the history of German-American emigration, and the National Maritime Museum.

Also, it is a very close, few-minute walk to the city center where there is a pedestrian-only zone and the Big Church built in the Late 1800's right along with the old lighthouse and the entire New Harbor.

This Arial photo is from the Bremerhaven Tourist Website and shoes the promenade to the left of the boat, the lock (center), and the Simon lighthouse (right). Up a short way to the left would be the Maritime Museum, the Columbus Center, and the Emigration Museum.

Wonderful museum with a lot of history infop about german and worldwide shipping. There are a lot of ship models and also an outside area with some real ships to visit. Besides there is the "Hanse- Kogge", worldwide the only exemplar exisiting, found more than 40 years ago (10-8-1962) on the ground of the river Weser it is now after 18 years in a conservating bath for restauration to visit. The ship has been constructed originally around the year 1380. Most complicate has been first to rebuild the ship out of the more than 2000 pieces and second to conservate the wood.

You could visit the Technikmuseum U-Boot 'Wilhelm Bauer'.

The submarine 'Wilhelm Bauer' (ex U 2540) is a technical monument. It´s the only remaining submarine of type XXI. For detailed information (in German) about the submarine, you could have a look here:
http://www.dsm.de/DSM/3ubor.htm

The height inside of the submarine is perfect to get yourself some colourful bumps if you don't take care ;-)

Bremerhaven was one of the main ports for emmigration in the 19th and early 20th century. The historic museum in Bremerhaven provides two terminals for online research in a database holing around 4.000.000 entries. But as you are already sitting in front of an online-PC, why not using their online database.
Follow the link below to the online database which is available in German and English. Maybe you can find relatives of yours. Good luck!

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DEUTSCHES AUSWANDERERHAUS

This is a fantastic museum that shows the journey of emigrants to USA from the Bremerhaven port. Our ancestors came to the US from this very area, so this museum is particularly special to us. Our German relative visited here and couldn't say enough good things about his experience here. There is even a ship you board in the museum!

There are cards that are available in several languages which you swipe through the stations at this walk-through museum.

There is also a restaurant in the museum.

"Between 1830 and 1974, more than 7 million people emigrated overseas via Bremerhaven. The historical location of the old harbor / new harbor is the site of the German Emigration Center, Europe`s largest adventure museum on the subject of emigration. While you wander through two centuries in the exhibition, they tell you the life stories of emigrants and their descendants in the America of today. Extensive reconstructions and multi-media sets give you a fascinating, close-up experience of emigration. In addition, the German Emigration Center presents topical aspects of global migration and allows you to personally initiate a search for emigrated ancestors. Our youngest visitors find their own experience on the subject of emigration and travel in the Kid`s World. The restaurant and café „Speisesaal” invites you to relax and enjoy culinary highlights from the Old and New World, even if you are not visiting the exhibition. The shop offers a broad selection of books, specialties and beautiful things for young and old."

The opening hours of the German Emigration Center are from April – October from Sunday- Friday 10- 18 o’clock and Saturday from 10- 19 o’clock. From November- March from Sunday- Friday 10- 17 o’clock and Saturday from 10- 18 o’clock. The Ticket costs 9 euros for adults and reduced 7,50 euros.