Bremerhaven is located in Northern Germany, at the sea and river Weser between the cities of Bremen and Cuxhaven. Its name in translation basically means the port of the Free Hanseatic city of Bremen and this was also this town´s main purpose once it was established back in the early 19th century. Bremerhaven was one of Germany´s most important trade ports and also the largest emigration port in all of Europe, therefore it is a very interesting city to visit nowadays, showing off its rich history, crossed with modern architecture and typical northern German customs. There are loads of tourist attractions in the city, including numerous unique museums, plus, there is also lots to see and explore in the area which makes it a great weekend trip or simply a stop during a longer road trip. I have visited the city a couple of times and was impressed by it every single time. Read more what you can see and do in Bremerhaven in this post.
HAVENWELTEN BREMERHAVEN | attractive tourist area
The PORT PART of the city of Bremerhaven is divided into the old port (ALTER HAVEN) and the new port (NEUER HAVEN), both covering an area now called HAVENWELTEN, an extremely interesting and modern part of Bremerhaven. For the growing needs of international trade and shipping, this area eventually became too small so the main cargo port part for international traffic moved to the northern part of the city – after a thorough renovation of this area, a very attractive and pleasant place full of various tourist attractions was created. Since the attractions are relatively close to one another everything is also very easily explored on foot.
The concept of the so-called OCEAN PARK over here thus includes the following sights and attractions, some of which are mentioned later on in this post as well: ZOO AM MEER, WILLY-BRANDT-PLATZ square, RADARTURM viewing tower, DEUTSCHE SCHIFFAHRTSMUSEUM Maritime Museum, NEUER HAVEN modern marina, MUSEUMHAVEN with old museum boats, DEUTSCHE AUSWANDERERMUSEUM Museum of Emigrants and Emigration, ATLANTIC HOTEL SAIL CITY, KLIMAHAUS 8 ° OST interactive museum, CONFERENCE CENTER, COLUMBUS CENTER commercial and residential building, TECHNOLOGICAL PARK and WOHNEN AM DEICH buildings.
DEUTSCHES AUSWANDERERMUSEUM | German migrations museum
One of the most important museums in Germany and at the same time the ONLY ONE OF ITS KIND IN GERMANY, DEDICATED TO THE MIGRATION OF THE GERMAN POPULATION. Between 1830 and 1974, as many as 7 million Germans emigrated from the country, most of them from Bremerhaven, by ships across the Atlantic to the United States. In the museum we learn about emigrants and life on ships during these long trips, we can use interactive stations, and many original documents are on display. The museum is located in close proximity to other attractions, museums, marinas and hotels.
KLIMAHAUS | unique journey through different climate zones aloneg longitude 8º
One of the best museums in Germany in general has been opened since 2009 and presents a UNIQUE CONCEPT THAT TAKES VISITORS ON A MULTIPLE SENSES JOURNEY AROUND THE WORLD ALONG LONGITUDE 8º. This is how we experience different CLIMATE AREAS AND CULTURES and visit 8 PLACES – Switzerland, Sardinia, Niger, Cameroon, Antarctica, Samoa, Alaska and last but not least Germany. In each of these destinations we feel the typical climate, sounds and smells and learn something new about the customs and culture. CLIMATE CHANGE is a frequent topic of debate, and here you can discover, among other things, how rising temperatures have changed local people’s way of life.
Among other things, you WALK THROUGH ICY ROOMS at minus degrees, and shortly after that you sweat in the RAINFOREST with the sounds of wild animals at 38ºC. Really an amazing experience, also for the kids of course. Lu was most excited about walking along a real HANGING BRIDGE over the lake and on the circular path through the rainforest in the dark, where we had to make quite a few repetition circles.
We spent about 2-3 hours for the visit, but we could easily have stayed even longer. ENTRY FEE is 15 € for adults, children 4 years or younger have free entry. You need to leave your backpacks in the wardrobe, you can take smaller bags with you. Photography is allowed but necessarily without a flash, I recommend clothes based on the onion principle, as it is very hot in some rooms and cold again in others.
DEUTSCHES SCHIFFFAHRTSMUSEUM | Maritime museum
Inside the beautiful modern MARITIME MUSEUM, you will find many models of ships, exhibits of maritime props (for example, for fishing, whaling, polar exploration, for the needs of the German Navy and the transport of containers), documents, old maps and more. Also on display is a historical wreck from the 14th century, a ship called the BREMER KOGGE, and otherwise the museum also hosts interesting temporary exhibitions related to maritime affairs.
Outside, in the old port part, which is today called MUSEUMHAFEN, you can take a closer look at about 10 MUSEUM SHIPS as part of the Maritim Museum´s collection. Among the latter, the most famous are the U-BOOT SUBMARINE WILHELM BAUER, SEUTE DEERN, ELBE 3, SEEFALKE and others.
SIMON-LOSCHEN-LEUCHTTURM | the oldest working lighthouse on the German North Sea coast
In the port part of Bremerhaven, another attraction awaits us, namely the 40m high red brick LIGHTHOUSE, which at first glance resembles a church bell tower rather than a lighthouse named after the architect who designed it. The same architect is responsible for the construction of several other important buildings in the city, including the main cathedral. The lighthouse dates back to 1855 and is consequently the OLDEST WORKING LIGHTHOUSE ON THE GERMAN NORTH COAST.
COLUMBUS CENTER | residential – shopping complex
The first project in the 1970s to transform the contours of the city of Bremerhaven is a mixture of a RESIDENTIAL-SHOPPING COMPLEX with a Maritime image. Later, a similar maritime design was applied by designing the Sail City Hotel and the Klimahaus, as well as some other buildings in the old port area. Since 2009, a connection with the GLASS BRIDGE has been established between the Klimahaus and the Columbus Center, from which there are interesting views of the port part of the city.
SCHAUFENSTER FISCHERHAVEN | revitalized old fishing port
THE REVITALIZED OLD FISHING PORT is nowadays one of the most popular areas of the city, both among tourists and locals. There is no shortage of various GASTRONOMICAL OFFERS over here, from restaurants, bars, sandwich kiosks, pubs, shops and similar. Concerts and other events take place here mostly during the summer, so it is definitely one of the livelier parts of the city, with a touch of the past when fish were traded here. Even today, everything revolves around FISH, so you should definitely try a traditional fish sandwich called FISCHBRÖTCHEN – visit the former PACKHALLE IV fish packing hall for example, or choose a more luxurious fish restaurant, there´s plenty of such as well.
VIEWING PLATFORMS | views over Bremerhaven city from above
While exploring Bremerhaven, I also recommend a visit to one of the lookout points, as the views of the harbor from the top are very special and interesting. For example, you can opt for one of the two VIEWING TERRACES at the otherwise 140m high hotel ATLANTIC SAIL CITY HOTEL, one at 86 and the other at 95m. Admission fee is 3 €, the upper platform is an open-air one. Another option is over 100m high BREMERHAVEN RADAR TOWER, where a 360 ° viewing platform awaits you at a height of 60m. Another possibility is the so-called CONTAINER AUSSICHTSTURM, built of 12 freight containers with a total height of about 15m.
A TRIP TO BREMEN | important hisorical trading Hanseatic city
Bremerhaven together with the larger city of Bremen, along the river Weser, forms one of the smallest German federal states, which means that it also has its own parliament and certain laws. The two cities earned this privilege at the expense of the important medieval trade union Hansa, which otherwise included quite a few cities in Germany. Bremen is also one of the 15 largest German cities and there is a lot of interesting things to see and do – you can read more about Bremen in the separate post by clicking on the link below the photo.
