1st International Maritime Museum, Hamburg
Nine exhibition decks show 3,000 years of maritime history - from the time of the great explorers to modern seafaring. Historical globes and nautical charts show how the world view has changed over the centuries. In the historic Kaispeicher B, Hamburg's oldest preserved warehouse, you will find the largest private maritime collection in the world. A highlight are the valuable ship models made of gold, silver or amber and the bone ships from the Napoleonic Wars.
From the Stone Age to the present day, shipbuilding has always reflected the technical possibilities of its era: a millennia-old tree trunk from the Elbe near Geesthacht, hollowed out with the simplest of tools, is the oldest exhibit on display in the museum. From the beginnings of navigation and communication on the high seas to modern container shipping, the nine decks also cover everything there is to know about the history of seafaring and shipbuilding.
In the ship handling simulator, everyone can be the captain and steer a large container ship or cruise liner to one of the three ports of Hamburg, Rotterdam or Singapore. Every Wednesday and Sunday at 12.00 and 14.00. Meeting point on deck 1, registration at the ticket office.
Address: International Maritime MuseumKaispeicher B, Koreastr. 1, 20457 Hamburg, Tel. 040-30092300.
2nd German Naval Museum, Wilhelmshaven
The German Naval Museum houses the largest exhibition on the history of the German naval forces from 1948 to the present day. The permanent exhibition includes Germany's largest museum warship, the guided missile destroyer D 186 "Mölders", which was in active service from 1969 to 2003, and the German Navy's coastal submarine "U-10".
The museum harbour in Wilhelmshaven is also home to one of the few large exhibits of the People's Navy of the former GDR that is still preserved, the small torpedo speedboat 952 of the Libelle type. Information boards in the Wilhelmshaven city centre refer to the events surrounding the 1918/1919 revolution, which began with a mutiny by sailors at what was then Germany's largest naval base.
Address: Südstrand 125, 26382 Wilhelmshaven, Tel.: 04421-400840. www.marinemuseum.de
3rd Ozeaneum, Stralsund
For 15 years, the Ozeaneum on Stralsund's harbour island has been inviting visitors on an underwater journey through the northern seas with its exhibitions and 50 seawater aquariums, some of which are huge. The façade of the museum building made of ship steel is reminiscent of sails inflated by the wind. Highlights include the 20 metre high hall of the "1:1 Giants of the Seas" exhibition, the original whale skeletons and the Humboldt penguins on the roof terrace.
Address: Hafenstr. 11, 18439 Stralsund, Tel.: 03831-2650610. www.ozeaneum.de
4th German Maritime Museum, Bremerhaven
The German Maritime Museum shows how ships shaped our world view, tells of the beginnings of research shipping, of shipwrecks and presents unique exhibits, such as the over 600-year-old "Bremer Kogge", the world's best-preserved merchant ship from the Middle Ages. In the permanent exhibition, visitors can learn all about life on board and the construction of the shipwreck from 1380.
Other highlights include the deep-sea salvage tug "Seefalke", the former whaler "Rau IX" and the harbour tug "Stier" in the museum harbour.
Special exhibition "Standing Still - Seafarers and Refugees in the Pandemic": Five years after the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, it sheds light on the experiences of seafarers and refugees during this time. To this end, research findings are transferred into a tunnel-like experiential space: The exhibition allows visitors to relive the confinement and isolation experienced by seafarers and refugees during the pandemic. 7 August 2025 until 1 March 2026
Address: Hans-Scharoun-Platz 1, 27568 Bremerhaven, Tel.: 0471-482070. www.dsm.museum
(The ships in the museum harbour will reopen after the winter break on 15.03.2026)
5th German Inland Navigation Museum, Duisburg
The Museum of German Inland Navigation in the former Ruhrort bathing establishment at the world's largest inland harbour tells the story of the development of cargo shipping on rivers and canals from the Stone Age to the present day. There are many detailed models and numerous hands-on exhibits on three floors. An adventure trail leads from the museum along the towpath to the museum ships moored below the Schifferbörse in Ruhrort: one of them is the side-wheel tugboat "Oscar Huber" from 1922, which was the only wheeled tugboat on the Rhine to escape scrapping. Right next to it are the bucket dredger "Minden" (1882) and the crane ship "Fendel 147" (1922).
Address: Apostelstr. 84, 47119 Duisburg-Ruhrort, Tel.: 0203-808890, www.binnenschifffahrtsmuseum.com
6th Museum of Ancient Shipping, Mainz
The Museum of Ancient Shipping in Mainz shows the diversity of ancient watercraft from simple boats and canoes to merchant ships and military patrol ships and battleships. The late Roman shipwrecks found in Mainz in 1981/82 form the centrepiece of the exhibition. Two of them have been reconstructed on a scale of 1:1 with every detail and can be viewed alongside the original wrecks.
Thanks to modern media installations and 3D applications, visitors can virtually explore the sunken wreck of an ancient merchant ship. Another part of the exhibition is dedicated to the history of shipbuilding, starting with the dugout canoes of the Stone Age. A special feature of the museum are the workshops, which are connected to the exhibition rooms by windows. This allows visitors to watch the restorers and model makers at work.
Address: Museum of Ancient Shipping of the LEIZA, Neutorstraße 2b, 55116 Mainz, Tel.: 06131-88850. www.mainz.de > Ancient navigation
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Jill Grigoleit
Editor Travel
