Deutsches Sielhafenmuseum

About the museum

The impetus came in 1978 from Gert Schlechtriem, then director of the Deutsches Schifffahrtsmuseum in Bremerhaven. A support association was founded, whose first chairman, Frerich Eilts, collected many of the objects. After the restoration of the listed Groot Hus, a former granary from 1840, the museum opened on June 8, 1984; the official opening followed in 1986. Later the Alte Pastorei (old parsonage, 1994), the Kapitänshaus (captain's house) from 1803 (1997), and the lifeboat shed at the Friedrichsschleuse (2005) were added. Since 2000, a special-purpose association made up of the town and district of Wittmund and the support association has operated the museum.

The museum harbor is closely tied to the museum. In the 18th and 19th centuries, Carolinensiel had one of the largest sluice and trading harbors in East Frisia; after the harbor at Harlesiel was built in the 1950s, the silted-up basin was filled in. It was restored in 1986 and 1987, and since 1990 traditional sailing ships have been able to enter again via a bascule bridge at the Friedrichsschleuse. Historic flat-bottomed ships and the museum's own cutter Gebrüder AZ 5 are moored here; every August, traditional sailing ships gather for WattenSail.

From 2020 to 2023, the buildings were renovated and the permanent exhibitions redesigned. The Groot Hus tells of the change from a trading harbor to a museum harbor, with shipping, fishing, and tourism; the Kapitänshaus tells of the lives of skippers' families; the Alte Pastorei, together with the Nationalpark-Haus, covers the coast and dikes of the Harlebucht. The lifeboat shed is about the history of sea rescue, and houses the rowing lifeboat Generalpostmeister.

Highlights

• Museum harbor with historic traditional sailing ships
• Groot Hus: from trading harbor to museum harbor
• Captain's house from 1803 with an original skippers' tavern
• Exhibition on the coast and dikes of the Harlebucht
• Lifeboat shed with the rowing lifeboat Generalpostmeister
• "Klabautermanns-Zuhause" play area for children

Permanent exhibitions

• Groot Hus – Vom Handelshafen zum Museumshafen – Ships, cargo, and life on board for the sluice-harbor skippers, the dangers of the sea, and the shift to fishing and tourism.
• Kapitänshaus – Das Leben der Schifferfamilien – Home life of captains' families in the 19th century with a skippers' tavern, parlor, and historic living kitchen.
• Alte Pastorei – Küste und Deiche der Harlebucht – Landscape history of the Harlebucht with models, archaeological finds, and tools, complemented by the Nationalpark-Haus in the same building.

Founded

1984

Operated by

Zweckverband Deutsches Sielhafenmuseum in Carolinensiel

Director

Dr. Heike Ritter-Eden

Visitors per year

approx. 30,000 (2017)

Admission & discounts

The regular price applies to the combination ticket for all three museum buildings; the audio guide is included in admission. The museum shop in the Groot Hus can also be visited without an admission ticket.

Accessibility

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

Certified under "Reisen für Alle": accessible for people with walking disabilities, partially accessible for wheelchair users. The Groot Hus (side entrance via the Frerich-Eilts-Padd from Bahnhofstraße) and the Alte Pastorei (side entrance from the parking lot) are fully wheelchair-accessible; in the Kapitänshaus only the first floor is; all three buildings have an accessible restroom. Loan wheelchair at the Groot Hus. Audio guide texts also in Easy Language.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops
• Activity booklet, scavenger hunt or kids’ audio guide
• Hands-on stations
• Baby changing facilities
• Playground / play area
• Kids’ birthday parties

Hands-on stations in every building (marked with a ship's wheel) and children's texts featuring the Klabautermann; in the Groot Hus, the "Klabautermanns-Zuhause" play area for drawing, knot-tying, and listening to stories. Children's birthday parties and family activities as a two-hour program for €90. Certified as KinderFerienLand Niedersachsen.

Getting there & parking

The three museum buildings are located around the museum harbor in the center of Carolinensiel.

Amenities & dining

• Museum shop

Museum shop in the Groot Hus with books, tiles, and regional products. Dogs and other pets are not allowed in the museum buildings.

Events & venue rental

• Spaces for rent
• Weddings / ceremonies

Up to 70 guests.

Event room in the Alte Pastorei for up to 70 people in rows or 60 at tables, with stage, screen, projector, and microphone, at ground level; prices on request. Weddings in the Kapitänshaus (living kitchen up to 15, skippers' tavern up to 25 people) with the Wittmund registry office.

Plan your visit