News on the cruise port Bremerhaven

Opening of sea lock Kaiserschleuse supplements the top infrastructure of the CCCB

When the new sea lock Kaiserschleuse was opened on 1st of May, 2011, this was a magic day for the future of the CCCB and its calling cruise lines. The road crossing the lock considerably reduce the distance between CCCB and Bremerhaven city center and thus the spectacular shore-ex destinations “German Emigration Center”, the “Climate House 8° East” and the Mediterranean-style shopping mall “Mediterraneo” can all be reached in 5 minutes by car or bus. Furthermore, the distance to the highway junction for shore excursion passengers as well as all turnaround passengers of the CCCB is also reduced to 3 miles. The new construction project uses the very latest technological developments: innovative lifting sliding gates that combine the advantages of a sliding gate with those of a lifting gate. The new, more efficient lock chamber will be 305 meters long, 55 meters wide and 13 meters deep. This is currently the largest lock construction project in Europe, with an investment volume of around € 233 million. The sea lock Kaiserschleuse has been under reconstruction from November, 2007 to April, 2011.

Klimahaus Bremerhaven 8° Ost (Climate House Bremerhaven 8° East) is a visitor Magnet

Already one month after the official opening on June 27th, 2009 the knowledge and adventure world was able to greet its 100.000th visitor. And only 15 months later the millionth guest traveled through the climate zones in the Klimahaus® Bremerhaven 8° Ost. Rockfall in Switzerland, dessert wind in barren Niger and only a few steps away humid lush rain forests – the influence of climate is made sensually vivid on the journey along the 8th longitude. Switzerland, Italy, Niger, Cameroon, Antarctic, Samoa, Alaska, Hallig Langeneß, Bremerhaven – on a journey where Alaska is only a stone’s throw away from Cameroon, inSardinia the visitor sees the world from the point of view of an insect amongst gigantic blades of grass, wanders through a dried riverbed in Niger, experiences exotic plant and animal worlds and finds shelter from the cold in the polar station in the Antarctic. While the researchers let their weather balloons fly into the atmosphere, the visitors rise towards the sun through the night sky via a 65 meters long bridge. On their exploration tour through the climate zones the visitor gets to know other ways of life and they meet people, whose everyday life is strongly influenced by the predominant climate. In the exhibition area „Elements“ one can test what influences the weather and climate on interactive experimenting stations. What role humanity plays is made clear in the area „Perspectives“ and „Chances“ offers guidance for a climate-conscience way of life.

Continually Rising Visitor Numbers

For the first time in 2010 the 2 millionth mark was passed in the seaside city. The results of the visitor survey 2010, which was conducted by ITF Research revealed this great result in April. Approx. 1.773 740 arrivals and with this tourists can be registered by the seaside city for 2010, without counting for visitors to the „Sail“. If the visitors to the Sail Bremerhaven are included, then a total of 2.010.000 guests visited the city in 2010. With this the 2 millionth mark was passed for the first time. And the numbers released by the Statistical State Office in Bremen show, that the numbers are still rising. So again there was an increase in overnights registered in the local hotels with more than nine beds. In comparison to last year during the same period of time, January to April, the guests from Germany and also from abroad provided for an arrival increase of 7,3 percent, and a 10,8 percent plus in overnight stays.

German Emigration Center Bremerhaven expands its exhibition with a new building wing, which will be complete in 2012.

The new wing of the German Emigration Center will contain six new rooms on a total area of 1.000 square meters. On April 15th was the first breaking of the ground. The extension of the German Emigration Center will add new aspects to the current exhibition. The main building and exhibition will remain open for visitors without interference. The German Emigration Center collects above all life stories and memorabilia from emigrants, who emigrated through the port of Bremerhaven to the New World between 1830 and 1974. Visitors learn about the social reasons, which caused the main emigration waves and they also learn about current aspects of global migration today. The expansion of the museum will allow for a closer look at the first year for the emigrants in their new homeland. “We will deal with the life stories in more depth. We would like to display what the emigrants accomplished in their new homeland right at the beginning – and this was quite a lot: They not only had to deal with a new and strange language, they also experienced a constant change in their familiar environment and working conditions”, explains Dr. Simone Eick, Museum Director. In the new wing the bridge will far more as before be drawn to current aspects of migration: „We would like to make a sustainable contribution to the topic of migration to Germany for the German society, the immigrants and their descendants as well.”, says Eick. The expansion of the museum was equally financed with two million Euros each from the German Federal Government and the Federal State of Bremen. „The approval from the federal and state governments shows the importance of the topic of migration for this country and as a milestone for cultural history“, says Dr. Simone Eick. 500.000 Euros will be contributed by the private operating company „Paysage House 1 – Gesellschaft für Kultur und Freizeit mbH & Co. KG“. The opening of the new wing is planned for April 2012.

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