Küstenmuseum Wilhelmshaven

About the museum

The museum opened in 1951 as the "Heimat- und Küsten-Museum" on Viktoriastraße; for decades the focus was the settlement of the coast. After several moves and name changes, in 1997 it was given a new orientation by a city council decision, in which urban history and settlement history carry equal weight. Since 2001 it has belonged to Wilhelmshaven Touristik & Freizeit GmbH.

Its home is a former naval drill hall near the Großer Hafen. The building later served as a gymnasium, as an exhibition hall during the Nazi era, and after the Pogrom Night as a gathering place for Jewish men before they were deported; after the war a worsted spinning mill used it, and in 2000 it was an Expo exhibition hall.

In 2006 the first part of the new permanent exhibition opened, with modules on the formation of the coast, the habitat behind the dike, and the early coastal inhabitants. Later came sections on the naval city of Wilhelmshaven and on an ethnological collection assembled during the Nazi era. A "Gläserne Werft" (Glass Shipyard) shows ship models as an open storage area with a visible workshop. Since 2024 the restored lightship NORDERNEY from 1907 has also been part of the museum as a museum ship at Bontekai.

Highlights

• Interactive media table on the formation of the North Sea coast since the Ice Age
• Dike building, sluices, and storm surges in the module "Lebensraum Küste" (Coastal Habitat)
• Lightship NORDERNEY (1907) as a museum ship in the Großer Hafen
• Gläserne Werft with ship models restored in public view
• Pirate corner with pirate ship and sea-swell simulator for children

Permanent exhibitions

• Die Küste – Entstehung, Lebensraum und Bewohner – Modules on the formation of the coast and the Jadebusen, on dike building and storm surges, and on archaeological finds from the early marsh dwellers.
• Marinestadt an der Nordseeküste – Urban development of Wilhelmshaven from naval port to civilian reuse, complemented by a section on an ethnological collection from the Nazi era.
• Feuerschiff NORDERNEY – Exhibition on board the 1907 lightship on navigation marks, ship technology, and the life of the crew (April to October).

Founded

1951

Operated by

Wilhelmshaven Touristik & Freizeit GmbH

Admission & discounts

School classes with a tour or workshop: €25 per hour plus €1 admission per child.

Accessibility

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

Low-barrier museum with ramps, elevator, threshold-free and wide aisles, and exhibits at easily reachable height. The signposted accessible restroom can also be used without visiting the museum.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops
• Hands-on stations
• Playground / play area
• Kids’ birthday parties

Children's area "Piratenecke" (Pirate Corner) with a walk-in pirate ship for dressing up, a medieval market, sea-swell simulator, and creative area. Monthly children's event series "Lilli*Billi". Children's birthday parties with tour and workshop (2 hours €65, 3 hours €95, each including 10 children).

Getting there & parking

By car via the A29, exit 3 Wilhelmshaven, then via Ostfriesenstraße/Friedrich-Paffrath-Straße, Peterstraße, and Virchowstraße into Weserstraße.

Amenities & dining

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

Events & venue rental

• Spaces for rent
• Weddings / ceremonies

Weddings on the lightship NORDERNEY possible.

Plan your visit