Museum „Leben am Meer“
Local history museum in the Peldemühle (1850) in Esens, with the settlement history of the Harlingerland and a historic clockmaker's workshop.
Have only individual sections read aloud
About the museum
In 1980 the Heimatverein Esens set up a Heimatstube (local history room) in a room of the former school building. In 1988 the town offered the association the tower of the restored Peldemühle as a museum space, and in December 1989 the museum opened. The two-story gallery windmill from 1850 had been bought by the town in 1986 and was completely renovated by 1989.
The museum gradually included the outbuildings; in 1995 it received the name “Leben am Meer – eine Mühle voller Geschichte(n)” (Life by the Sea – a Mill Full of Stories). In 1994 the association inherited the estate of Esens clockmaker Johannes Janssen, known as “Hansi Tick-Tack,” whose workshop is now on display. In 2014 exhibition space in the neighboring Müllerhaus was added; in 2016 the house received the Museumsgütesiegel (museum seal of quality).
The permanent exhibition “Menschen – Leben – Überleben” (People – Life – Survival) tells the settlement history of the Harlingerland across its marsh (Marsch), geest, and town landscapes around Esens. The house also features a tiled room and insights into the craft and everyday culture of the 19th and 20th centuries.
Highlights
- Peldemühle from 1850 as the museum building
- Permanent exhibition on the settlement of the Harlingerland
- Clockmaker's workshop of “Hansi Tick-Tack”
- Tiled room
- Museum tour on Wednesdays included in admission
Permanent exhibition
- Menschen – Leben – Überleben – The permanent exhibition on the settlement of the Harlingerland shows, in the marsh, geest, and town areas of Esens, how people lived with the sea and the landscape.
- Founded
- 1989
- Operated by
- Heimatverein Esens e. V.
- Director
- Anke Kuczinski
Admission & discounts
| Adults | €5 |
|---|---|
| Reduced | €2Young people and students |
| Children & teens | €2free up to age 14 · Children up to age 14 free; young people €2 |
| Students & apprentices | €2Young people and students |
| Groups (10+ people) | €3 per personAdults in groups of 10 or more, per person; young people €1 |
| With the Nordsee-ServiceCard or OstfrieslandCard | €4 |
| kombiKarte combined ticket with the August-Gottschalk-Haus | €6 |
| GPS mission for families and individual visitors (season, Fridays at 11:00) | €5With the Nordsee-ServiceCard €4, price per device |
Free admission: Day of Open Monuments (Tag des offenen Denkmals)
Free admission for members of the Heimatverein Esens, the association museums of the Arbeitskreis Museen und Sammlungen, the Museumsverbund Ostfriesland, and the German Museums Association.
Accessibility
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Kids & families
Great for kids & families
| Kids’ admission | free up to age 14 |
|---|
- Family tours & workshops
- Activity booklet, scavenger hunt or kids’ audio guide
Archaeologist training with excavation boxes for children aged 6 to 12 (groups), a GPS mission for families aged 12 and up, and an outdoor escape adventure in town.
Getting there & parking
By public transit
Krankenhaus
Bus K1 (circular route through Esens, Bensersiel, Neuharlingersiel, and Werdum) and line 4444; by train to Esens (the end of the Sande–Esens line), then about a 30-minute walk.
By car
Parking available
Some parking directly at the museum, more along the side of Hauptstraße; larger parking lots are about a 5-minute walk away.
In Esens, follow the signs toward Bensersiel; the museum is in the mill at the junction toward Bensersiel, with access via Walpurgisstraße.
Get directionsAmenities & dining
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Events & venue rental
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Plan your visit
| Guided tours | yes · approx. 60 min |
|---|---|
| School programs | yes |
| Good to know | In the main season, a museum tour on Wednesdays at 15:00 is included in the admission price; group tours cost €30 (up to 25 people). Dogs are welcome. |
