Deutsches Schifffahrtsmuseum

Current exhibitions

About the museum

The founding of the Deutsches Schifffahrtsmuseum was sparked by a sensational find: in 1962, dredgers in the Weser near Bremen struck the wreck of a merchant ship from the Hanseatic era, later known as the Bremen Cog. Civic engagement in support associations led to the founding of the museum in 1971 as a foundation under civil law.

The museum building on the Weser dike was designed by Bremen architect Hans Scharoun, who died in 1972 while it was still under construction. The museum opened in September 1975; in 1980 it was included in joint federal and state research funding, and today it is one of eight research museums in the Leibniz Association. From 1995, an extension was built to plans by Dietrich Bangert, and in 2005 both buildings were placed under historic preservation.

The Cog, recovered in individual pieces, was reassembled in the museum and conserved with synthetic wax for decades; since 2000, it has been on free-standing display in the Cog Hall. Since 2012/13, the museum has been realigning its content: in the Bangert Building, the permanent exhibition “Schiffswelten” (Ship Worlds) shows the construction, propulsion, and function of ships.

The Scharoun Building has been closed for years. The federal government and the State of Bremen are funding its renovation, which is scheduled to begin in 2027 and last until 2032; a new permanent exhibition on the global significance of shipping is planned there afterward. In front of the museum, historic ships and harbor equipment are moored in the museum harbor.

Highlights

• Bremen Cog from 1380 – the best-preserved merchant ship of the Middle Ages
• Permanent exhibition “Schiffswelten – Der Ozean und wir” (Ship Worlds – The Ocean and Us)
• Museum harbor with the deep-sea salvage tug SEEFALKE and harbor tug STIER
• Scharoun Building as an architectural landmark (currently exterior only)
• Research museum of the Leibniz Association

Permanent exhibitions

• Die Kogge – The more than 20-meter-long wreck from 1380 can be viewed from three levels; the exhibition tells of the Hanseatic League, life on board, and conservation.
• Schiffswelten – Der Ozean und wir – Permanent exhibition in the Bangert Building on the construction, propulsion, and function of different types of ships.
• Museumshafen – Historic ships and harbor equipment in the Alter Hafen (old harbor), including the salvage tug SEEFALKE and harbor tug STIER, accessible during the summer season.

Founded

1971

Operated by

Stiftung Deutsches Schifffahrtsmuseum – Leibniz-Institut für Maritime Geschichte

Director

Prof. Dr. Ruth Schilling (Geschäftsführende Direktorin)

Visitors per year

approx. 63,015 (2025)

Admission & discounts

Ticket covers the Cog Hall, Schiffswelten, and the current special exhibition in the Bangert Building; access to the DSM ships in the museum harbor is free. Free admission for refugees and for members of the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Schiffahrts- und Marinegeschichte (German Society for Maritime and Naval History) and the Marineoperationsschule (naval operations school).

Accessibility

• Partially wheelchair accessible
• Elevator
• Accessible restroom
• Accessible parking: no information
• Service dogs welcome
• Tactile models & exhibits
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials
• Audio description: no information

Extension building via a ramp, Cog Hall at ground level; elevators to all exhibition levels, portable stools at the ticket desk. Tactile guidance system, tactile models, texts in Braille, and audio stations. Website in Easy Language (Leichte Sprache). Museum ships are not wheelchair-accessible. Tours suitable for wheelchairs and rollators are part of the program.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops
• Stroller-friendly
• Kids’ birthday parties

Family activities in the exhibitions and the museum harbor, holiday program on the historic ships, and children's birthday parties with a craft portion in the workshop; dates in the events calendar. Strollers are allowed in the exhibition.

Getting there & parking

By car via the A 27, exit Bremerhaven-Mitte (7), then via the access road to Columbusstraße.

Amenities & dining

• Coat check
• Lockers

Coat check and lockers; bags larger than A4 must be checked. Walkers (rollators) allowed in the exhibition. A café is planned for the renovated Scharoun building; the website gives no information on current food service. Animals other than service dogs not allowed.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this – please ask the museum directly.

Plan your visit