All Aboard the German Emigration Centre

The German Emigration Centre (Deutsches Auswanderer Haus) in Bremerhaven in northern Germany is one of the most interesting museums I have ever been to anywhere in the world!  It simulates the journey taken in the late 1800s through the 1900s by German emigrants seeking a better life in America.  All aboard!

 Each person is given a German emigrant boarding pass of a real German emigrant who made the 8 day journey to the U.S (which got shorter as time went on).  I was given Martha Hüner, a young single woman who had relatives in the U.S. and big dreams of making it rich as a house keeper.  Many German emigrants who made the journey were poor, unemployed and were seeking a better life in the U.S.

 

The first stop is the enormous ship, where plasticized figures wait for the large looming boat.  Most impressive are the noises.  The port was a busy place and standing among all the figures and luggage with the boat in the background and all the noisy seagulls and people chattering that I actually felt like I was the one emigrating.  Here I learned that all of Martha's friends and families came to send her off on her journey. 

 Next visitors "board" the boat.

Then it's off to the third class cabin where most emigrants were based.  Conditions were tight.  Five people to two narrow mattresses, with often 100 people in a small room.  If passengers didn't have a family of five, they slept next to strangers.  There were no windows in third class and when conditions were rough, passengers had to stay in their rooms.  The stench from the sea sickness is said to have been wrenching and passengers were often forced to stay there for several days at a time in rough seas.

Second class was much nicer with each person getting their own bunk.  Unfortunately most German emigrants couldn't afford second class and the majority of them had to rough it in third class, where they were later joined by Irish immigrants who also normally stayed in third class.

In later years, the journey became shorter and conditions much more comfortable, with only 4 people in a room.

In this room, visitors swipe their German Emigrant boarding pass and learn more about their German emigrant.

After a long journey emigrants waited  here at the U.S. Immigration Office where their fate is decided.  First they had to see a doctor, and pass a several minute exam ensuring they weren't carrying infectious diseases.

Upon passing the physical inspection, emigrants faced bullet fired questions from U.S. Immigration Officials.  If an emigrant hesitated too long on any question, they would be pulled into a separate room for more intensive questioning.  Fortunately, most emigrants passed.  In the above photo,  visitors test their knowledge of their German emigrant and see if they are allowed entry into the U.S.  Fortunately I had paid attention and passed the test and was able to begin a new life in the U.S. 

Martha's father had predicted she would marry an American cowboy, instead she married another German emigrant.  They opened a bakery in New Jersey and ran a modest business in a Czechoslovakian neighborhood, but when WWII started the Czechs boycotted their store and they went bankrupt.  Soon after, Martha's husband died.  She then found work as a housekeeper for a well-to-do family, a position she held for ~20 years.  In her old age she had a stroke and decided she was homesick and came back to Germany to live with her sister.  She died in Germany.  The letter above is a sign of the times - note the "Russia Zone Germany" address.

The German Emigration Centre does a realistic job of showing visitors what the German emigrants faced and by having my "own" German emigrant, I felt very connected - something that I don't feel very often in most museums.  Along the way, I kept hoping that things would turn out OK for Martha and was silently rooting for her.  Americans with German ancestry would find the German Emigration Centre especially interesting.  I went with four other Germans and we all found it fascinating.  Unfortunately their German emigrants didn't fare as well as Martha did.  Unfortunately the American dream wasn't to be realized by all emigrants.

12 Places to Visit in Germany

My New Year's Travel Resolution this year is to travel more closer to home.  All too often we overlook interesting places just because they are close and they don't feel like "real" travel.  As part of this resolution, I've come up with 12 places to visit in Germany (one for each month) that are a 3 hour drive or less from where I live in Stuttgart, Germany.

Places to Visit in Germany #1: Schweine Museum in Stuttgart (Pig Museum)
The world's largest pig museum is right in my own city of Stuttgart featuring over 40,000 pig exhibits from all over the world.  I'll admit, I'm intrigued but may have to go alone as my German friends seem less than enthusiastic about spending an afternoon learning about the history of pigs. 


Places to Visit in Germany #2:  Zugspite Region

The Zugspite Region is home to Germany's highest peak - The Zugspite (2963m), crystal clear lakes and gorges.  As an avid hiker, I can't wait to explore this area and I have a feeling, this is one place where I will keep coming back to.  It is just under a 3 hour drive from Stuttgart.

Places to Visit in Germany #3:  Regensburg

 Regensburg is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and a former European medieval trading center where Gothic and Romanesque building dating back to to 90 A.D. can still be found.  I'm curious to learn more about medieval times and Regensburg is a great place to do so and is ~ a 2 hour 40 minute drive from Stuttgart. 


Places to Visit in Germany #4:  Ludwigsburg Palace Tour

 I've been to Ludwigsburg Palace, only a 20km drive from Stuttgart, but only to the outside and the grounds.  The palace is impressive and is considered one of the most impressive baroque palaces in all of Europe, but the real draw surprisingly is the tour itself.  I've heard from quite a few German and expat friends alike that the tour is the best castle tour they've EVER been on in Germany.  Instead of just touring a few rooms, this extensive 3 hour tour takes you into secret places - including servant quarters and secret stairwells used by the king's mistresses, giving visitors an inside glimpse into what life in a castle was really like.

Places to Visit in Germany #5:  Dachau Concentration Camp
Not the happiest place on earth to visit, but as I'm living in Germany, I feel it is important to visit a concentration camp and learn more about German history, however tragic it may be.  Dachau was the first Nazi Concentration Camp and is located near Munich, ~ a 2 hour drive from Stuttgart.

Places to Visit in Germany #6:  Mercedes Museum
Another museum located right in Stuttgart, and also one of the most popular museums in Stuttgart, although the Porsche Museum gives it some healthy competition.  The museum has over 1500 exhibits and shows the history of Mercedes.  I'm not really into cars, but have been told that it is still interesting even if I'm not that interested in cars.  Mostly, I'm curious to see what makes this one of Stuttgart's most visited sights, but this is admittedly the place I'm least excited to visit on my list. 

Place to Visit in Germany  #7:  Frontiers of the Roman Empire

 I'll admit that I came across this sight via a road sign pointing out the UNESCO World Heritage Site.  The "Roman Limes" marks the border of the Roman Empire when it was at its largest in 2nd century A.D.  Today, all that is left are walls, fortresses, towers and settlements, but I am curious to see such a historical border that is ~ a 90 minute drive from Stuttgart.


Places to Visit in Germany #8:  Feldburg Mountain, Black Forest
Feldburg Mountain is known as the highest peak in the Black Forest, even though it really is a big hill and not a peak.  I have hiked quite a bit in the middle and northern part of the Black Forest which is 200km long, but never in the south.  Feldburg Mountain would make a great day hike and the view is supposed to be one of the best in the Black Forest.  At just under a 2 hour drive from Stuttgart you could easily make it a day trip, but with so much to see in the region, I plan to make it a weekend trip.

Places to Visit in Germany #9:  Trier

 Trier is the oldest city in Germany dating back to 16 B.C.  2000 years later there is still evidence of the Romans, most notably in the archecture.  I love visitng places where you feel transported back in time and this one just barely slips under the 3 hour drive mark with 4 minutes to spare, according to my GPS.

Places to Visit in Germany #10:  The Kelten Museum (The Celtic Museum)
Located just outside of Stuttgart is an ancient Celtic settlement and the Celtic Museum who migrated to Germany from Ireland and Scotland.  To be honest I don't much about the rest of the story, which is precisely why this museum is on my list, especially since it is less than 16km from Stuttgart.

Places to Visit in Germany #11 - The Allgäu

 I've noticed that when I've asked my German friends where the most beautiful place is in Germany they most popular answer is "the Allgäu" a pristine mountainous region in the south of Germany.  While I have been to the eastern Allgäu where the famous Neuschwanstein Castle is(the famous white one which Disney based their castle on), I have yet to go deep into the Allgäu, where lies some of the best hiking in Germany.  This too just barely slips under the 3 hour drive mark.

Places to Visit in Germany #12 - ???
I will visit another place within a 3 hour drive from Stuttgart in the next year, but one of the great things about traveling is that you keep discovering new destinations, so I plan to keep this one open to whatever new and exciting place I discover in Germany.

So there you have it, my 12 New Year's Travel Resolutions, all within a 3 hour drive or less from Stuttgart, which was my travel resolution - to travel closer to home.  I have a feeling that unlike many New Year's Resolutions, this will be a fun one to keep!

Have you been to any of these 12 places to visit in Germany?  Where are your close to home travel destinations that you plan to visit this year?

For more Travel New Years Resolutions check out this post by Adventures with ben:  8 New Year's Resolutions for Aspiring Travelers

Photos courtesy of Wikipedia Commons:
Places to Visit in Germany:  Black Forest
Places to Visit in Germany:  Zugspite,
Places to Visit in Germany:  Trier
Places to Visit in Germany:  Regensburg
Places to Visit in Germany:  Ludwigsburg Palace
Places to Visit in Germany:  Allgäu
Places to Visit in Germany:  Roman Limes

Places to Visit in Germany: Black Forest

Valley in the Black Forest

The Black Forest was one of the places to visit in Germany that I was most excited about.  The Black Forest is located in SW Germany and is legendary with stories of witches,  sorcerers, wizards and even werewolves.  Fortunately we didn't see any of these on our trip to the Black Forest, but we did see spectacular scenery that far exceeded my expectations.

Zweriback Waterfall in the Black Forest

Our goal was an 11km loop starting in Simonswald, that continued onto the Zweriback Waterfall.  This was one of my favourite hikes in Germany so far with views of the tranquil Black Forest valley throughout our hike and glimpses into what farm life is like in the Black Forest.  J.P. lived in the Black Forest as a child, but this was his first time hiking in the Black Forest and even he was impressed!

Even if hiking in the Black Forest is not your goal, the drive through the Black Forest in itself is rewarding and  Furtwagen is a great rest stop where you check out the famed cuckoo clocks.  We're already planning our next hiking trip back to the Black Forest and perhaps even a stop at the German Clock Museum.

See also:
500 Reasons I Love Germany:  Farm Houses in the Black Forest

Black Forest Legends

Places to Visit in Germany - Heidelberg

Heidelberg was one of my top places to visit in Germany and it did not disappoint - with its charming castle overlooking the Neckar River and Old Town which looks like something out of a storybook.    Its success is also its downfall - it is a bit of a tourist trap, and you will likely be surrounded by more tourists than Germans, but go anyway.  You can get away from the hustle and bustle with a walk through the vineyards.  I plan to return on Sept 4th for the third Heidelberg Castle Lighting of the summer.  I can only imagine how beautiful it will be.  There is also a fantastic Thai restaurant so yet another excuse to go back.  Castle, fireworks, beautiful historic buildings, vineyards, and Thai food.  What more could you want from a place to visit in Germany?


More info:
Heidelberg Castle Lighting
German Pharmacy Museum in Heidelberg Castle

Photos of Places to Visit in Germany of the Castle and Old Town

Places to Visit in Germany - Frankfurt

Frankfurt was not high on my list of places to visit in Germany, but a chance meeting with a cousin led me to Frankfurt for a few hours and I was pleasantly surprised.  The futuristic skyline, although not large, is interesting - no cookie cutter skyscrapers here, and I was charmed by Römer square, the historical part of the city lined with quaint outdoor cafes.  Just a block away is the Main River, with walking paths and kayakers and rowers galore.  There are nearly 40 museums in Frankfurt, and some of them rather quirky, i.e. a hammer museum.  Frankfurt would not be at the top of my places to visit in Germany, but it's definitely worth a short stop.  See Places to Visit in Germany Frankfurt for more info. 
Places to visit in Germany photo of Römer square in Frankfurt courtesy of:  http://www.flickr.com/photos/buridan/3679418664/sizes/m/in/photostream/