Deutsches Hafenmuseum

About the museum

The museum is built on the maritime collections assembled by the Museum der Arbeit from 1986 onward. In 2002, these became the basis of the "Hafenmuseum Hamburg", a branch housed in quay shed 50A on the Hansahafen in Kleiner Grasbrook. Sheds 50 to 52 were built between 1908 and 1912 for general cargo handling; they form the last surviving quay ensemble from the Imperial era and have been listed monuments since 2002. A first exhibition opened in April 2005, and by 2008 the space had grown to around 2,500 square meters.

The focus is mainly on the era before the container: cranes, freight cars on the old port railway tracks, a floating steam crane, a barge suction dredger and a general cargo freighter lie at and in the harbor basin, while the shed holds around 10,000 objects on dock work, cargo handling, shipbuilding and harbor shipping. Former dockworkers, the "Hafensenioren" (port seniors), volunteer to explain the technology and daily work from their own experience.

In 2015, the Bundestag approved funding for a national port museum. As part of this, the four-masted barque PEKING, built in 1911 by Blohm + Voss, returned from New York in 2017; after restoration, she has been moored at Bremer Kai in front of the shed since September 2020. Since April 2022, the museum has been called Deutsches Hafenmuseum and is being developed by the Stiftung Historische Museen Hamburg as a "museum of globalization", since November 2022 under founding director Klaus Bernhard Staubermann.

A new building is planned at the western tip of the Grasbrook on the Norderelbe, where the PEKING is eventually to have her permanent berth; shed 50A will remain as a second site with the open storage. The federal government and the city are funding the new building, the berth and the ship's restoration with a combined total of up to around €283 million. Since March 2026, an exhibition in the deckhouse and reconstructed interiors have enhanced the visit on board.

Highlights

• Four-masted barque PEKING (1911) with reconstructed interiors – guided tours only
• Open storage with around 10,000 objects on dock work, cargo handling and shipbuilding
• Floating steam crane SAATSEE (1917) and barge steam suction dredger SAUGER IV (1909)
• General cargo freighter MS BLEICHEN and early container technology such as the van carrier
• Demonstrations and conversations with former dockworkers (Hafensenioren)

Permanent exhibitions

• Die PEKING entdecken. Räume, Reisen, Hafenwelten – Since March 2026, an exhibition on the bridge deck of the four-masted barque has told the story of the saltpeter freighter; reconstructed captain's saloons, crew quarters and galley can be seen on guided tours.
• Schaudepot im 50er Schuppen – Some 2,500 square meters of tools, equipment and models from the era of general cargo, plus a dedicated section on the introduction of the container.
• Die Flotte und Großgeräte am Bremer Kai – The floating steam crane SAATSEE and the barge suction dredger SAUGER IV can be reached via the pontoon; port cranes, freight cars and early container vehicles stand on the quay.

Founded

2002

Operated by

Stiftung Historische Museen Hamburg

Director

Prof. Dr. Klaus Bernhard Staubermann (Gründungsdirektor)

Visitors per year

approx. 44,000 (2022)

Admission & discounts

Free admission for, among others, members of the Deutscher Museumsbund, ICOM and the SHMH friends' associations, as well as for necessary companions of people with severe disabilities.

Accessibility

• Partially wheelchair accessible
• Elevator
• Accessible restroom
• Accessible parking: not available
• Service dogs welcome
• Tactile models & exhibits
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials
• Audio description: no information

Certified under "Reisen für Alle" (Travel for All) (shed 50A site). Accessible main entrance; the open storage with ticket desk and shop can be reached via a staff-operated elevator. Wheelchair-accessible restroom outdoors, during the season only. No designated accessible parking space, but ample parking. The floating exhibits and the PEKING are not accessible (tours without wheelchairs, walkers or strollers). Guided tours for blind and visually impaired people, tactile model of the PEKING, short text in Easy German (Leichte Sprache).

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops
• Hands-on stations
• Stroller-friendly
• Baby changing facilities
• Playground / play area

Two children's forklifts (up to age 6) and further play and hands-on stations; free-standing exhibits without barriers may be touched. Plenty of space for strollers, baby changing facilities in the basement restrooms, no separate nursing room. Bringing your own drinks and snacks is allowed. The quay edge is not secured – bringing your own life jackets for children is recommended. Children under 1.20 m are currently not yet allowed on the PEKING; strollers and buggies are not allowed there.

Getting there & parking

Amenities & dining

• Café
• Museum shop
• Lockers: not available

Coffee truck on the forecourt (Thu/Fri 10:00–17:00, Sat/Sun 10:00–18:00); museum shop "Zampelbüdel". Bringing your own drinks and snacks is allowed. No lockers.

Events & venue rental

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

Plan your visit