Maritime museum with three houses in Brake and Elsfleth on shipping under the Oldenburg flag, shipbuilding, navigation and whaling.
November 20, 2026 – August 29, 2027
Travelling exhibition by the Oldenburgische Gesellschaft für Familienkunde on migration and emigration from the Oldenburg region in the 19th and 20th centuries. Brake and Nordenham were important emigration ports.
The museum is one of the oldest specialist museums in Lower Saxony. It began in 1956 with a shipping exhibition for the town jubilee of Brake, organized by Dr. Friedrich Carstens. In 1960 the museum opened under his honorary direction in the Telegraph, built in 1846 as a landmark of Brake, which had previously also served as a prison, harbor office and infirmary. Later, Dutch tiles, nautical instruments and a lifeboat part of the four-masted barque "Pamir" were added.
In 1980 the association acquired the Haus Borgstede & Becker, a merchant's house from 1808; the exhibition there opened in 1985. In 2001 an administration building was added in a former granary from 1835, and from 2004 the museum has been run under academic leadership. In 2008 the restored Telegraph reopened, and in 2010, for the museum's 50th anniversary, Haus Elsfleth became a third location.
The museum is run by the non-profit association Schiffahrtsmuseum der oldenburgischen Unterweser. It is financed by grants, membership fees and the work of many volunteers. The collection includes ship models, captains' portraits, nautical instruments, maritime paintings and documents on shipping on the Lower Weser.
| Adults | €5 |
|---|---|
| Children & teens | €2free up to age 5 · Children up to age 6 free; children and students up to age 18 pay €2. |
| Groups (6+ people) | €4 per personFrom six people, per person. |
| Families | €10Two adults with children up to age 18. |
| Combination ticket adults (all houses) | €10 |
| Combination ticket children/students up to age 18 (all houses) | €4 |
| Combination ticket family (all houses) | €20Two adults with children up to age 18 |
| Combination ticket group from 6 people (per person) | €8 |
The single ticket is valid for one house; the combination ticket covers all three houses. Guided tours by arrangement (up to 15 people) cost €35 plus admission.
Haus Borgstede & Becker is step-free; all floors can be reached by elevator, and there is a wheelchair-accessible toilet on the ground floor. Haus Elsfleth is also step-free with an elevator and a wheelchair-accessible toilet (registration requested for access). The Telegraph is not barrier-free. Assistance dogs are permitted upon presentation of ID at the information desk.
Great for kids & families
| Kids’ admission | free up to age 5 |
|---|---|
| Family ticket | €10 · Two adults with children up to age 18. |
Children's tours of 60 to 90 minutes, museum rallies with question sheets and workshops of about 90 minutes, for example on shipbuilding and wood, chart and compass, or sails and rigging. There are also crafts such as sailor's knots and paper boats, and museum suitcases on maritime themes.
Bahnhof Brake
Brake: RS4 train from Bremen to Brake station (about 45 minutes), bus 440 from Oldenburg to Brake station (about 40 minutes). Elsfleth: RS4 train from Bremen to Elsfleth station (35 minutes), bus 460 from Oldenburg to the Peterstraße stop (about 50 minutes).
Parking available
Brake: museum car park on Schulstraße and the Postplatz car park. Elsfleth: parking spaces directly at the house; right next to the museum is the town's motorhome pitch.
By car via the B 212.
Get directionsMuseum shops in all three houses with fair-trade drinks, textiles, books, honey from the museum's own apiary and children's games. Publicly accessible museum garden at Haus Borgstede & Becker.
Weddings take place in Haus Borgstede & Becker, in Haus Elsfleth and in the museum garden (Brake). Surcharge: €150 for weddings in the house, €200 in the museum garden, in each case plus civil registry office fees.
Inquiries & details| Guided tours | yes |
|---|---|
| Audio guide | yes |
| School programs | yes |
| Good to know | The audio guide is available at Haus Borgstede & Becker. Tours of all houses or on particular themes can be booked (contact: Manfred Werner, tel. 04401 6791). For schools there are cooperation programs, working groups and project weeks. |
