Bremerhaven's German Emigration Center turns 10

The Emigration Center offers visitors a themed museum experience. They take a journey through deceptively realistic displays, such as the interiors of ships carrying emigrants and the waiting room at Ellis Island in New York City. In a multi-media, interactive exhibition that covers 2,500 square meters, the Emigration Center shows them aspects of emigration in the past and present.

Researching Ancestors

Descendants of emigrants can trace their ancestors in a comprehensive archive. Some visitors accidentally find out about ancestors who have emigrated from Germany. "Then things always become very emotional," says director Simone Eick. "Those are beautiful moments."

According to Eick, the reactions vary a great deal. She says many people are touched by the topic and the exhibition, which is a very unusual one for Germany. "They most often say they get the shivers."

As a visitor to the Emigration Center, you can trace the story of a real emigrant. You're given a biography with your entrance ticket, so you can follow the person’s path as you tour the museum.

The Center deals with the life stories of millions of people who left Germany for the US and Canada, Argentina and Australia after 1830, looking for a better life.

The fates of emigrants and immigrants

The museum shows what happened to the emigrants when they became immigrants as soon as they reached their destinations. It also opens visitors' eyes to the fates of people who, since the 1950s, have come to Germany from Italy, Portugal and Turkey. Museum director Simone Eick points out that Germany has been a country of immigration and emigration for centuries.

On average, visitors spend 3.5 hours in the Emigration Center. Compared to many other museums, that's quite a long time. The building is on a quay from which sailing ships once set off on their way to America. The center plans to update the exhibition on emigration in the next few years.

Museum with political ambitions

According to Simone Eick, there will also be changes in the immigration section. In the coming years, a project will be launched to explain to children how to deal with what is foreign to them. "The aim is to transform xenophobia into curiosity." There will be a mobile learning station on the subject of Christianity and Islam, and current developments in refugees and persecution will be emphasized more.

Spurring tourism in Bremerhaven

In the 10 years since it opened on August 8, 2005, the German Emigration Center has not only become one of the most important centers of knowledge about migration in Germany. It has also triggered the transformation and revival of the old industrial city of Bremerhaven after years of decay. Raymond Kiesbye, the managing director of Bremerhaven’s tourist board, says, "In 2005, the German Emigration Center was one of the first major attractions in the new Havenwelten district, and it's developed very well since then. It represents subjects that have lost none of their topicality in 170 years: immigration and emigration."

Together with the German Maritime Museum, the seaside zoo, the port and the banks of the Weser River, the Emigration Center attracts visitors from far beyond the region. Of an average 200,000 tourists a year, some five percent come from abroad, especially from the US, Switzerland and France.