Museum für Wattfischerei

About the museum

The museum opened in 1991 in the North Sea resort of Wremen. The Wremer Heimatkreis (local heritage society) wanted to document mudflat fishing, its methods and the living conditions of fishing families. With support from the municipality, it saved one of the village's oldest houses from decay and, with the society's own labor, converted it into a museum. It stands on the village square next to the Wurtenkirche, more than 800 years old.

The exhibition shows how important trades grew out of the hardship of the poor, who searched the mudflats for food: the extraction of shell lime and shrimp fishing. The sections cover the Wadden Sea habitat, the development of fishing gear from the stake net to the modern three-net cutter, the processing and marketing of the catch, and the everyday life of fishermen, with a shrimp kitchen and a fisherman's parlor furnished true to the original.

After an expansion and modernization completed in 2021, a large diorama of the mudflats at low tide and a digital audio guide in Standard German and Low German (Plattdeutsch) complete the tour. Outside stands the largest exhibit, the shrimp cutter "Koralle": built in 1962 at a shipyard in Ditzum, it fished off the Wurster coast until 1991 and was rescued from scrapping in 1993. Visitors can board it today. Once a year, on the Saturday after Ascension Day, the society celebrates the Krabbentag (shrimp day).

Highlights

• Fishing methods from the stake net to the three-net cutter
• Shrimp kitchen and a fisherman's parlor furnished true to the original
• Five-meter diorama of animals and fishermen on the mudflats at low tide
• Walk-in shrimp cutter "Koralle" (built 1962) as an outdoor exhibit
• Digital audio guide in Standard German and Low German

Permanent exhibitions

• Wattenfischerei – Lebensraum, Fangmethoden und Fischerleben – A walk-through from the beginnings of mudflat fishing via shell lime and shrimp fishing to processing, marketing and the everyday life of fishing families.
• Krabbenkutter „Koralle“ – The cutter, built in 1962, stands across from the museum as a walk-in outdoor exhibit; visitors may go on deck, into the cabin and to the helm.

Founded

1991

Operated by

Wremer Heimatkreis ’85 e. V.

Admission & discounts

With the guest card of the Wurster Nordseeküste spa administration, single tickets are reduced by €0.50.

Accessibility

• Partially wheelchair accessible
• Elevator: no information
• Accessible restroom: no information
• 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

Only the ground floor is accessible.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

Children and young people enter free; the museum is suitable for families and school classes and offers a program even on rainy days.

Getting there & parking

By car via the A27, exit Debstedt, then about 15 km to Wremen; the museum is in the village center, southeast of the church on the village square (navigation: Wremer Straße 118). The shrimp cutter "Koralle" stands opposite.

Amenities & dining

• Museum shop

Museum shop with Heimatkreis calendars and chronicles; restrooms available.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Plan your visit