
Deutsches Sielhafenmuseum
Museum on the culture of the northern German sluice harbors in historic buildings at the Museumshafen Carolinensiel, with traditional sailing ships and a lifeboat shed.
Over het 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.
Hoogtepunten
- 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
Vaste collectie
- 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.
- Opgericht
- 1984
- Beheerder
- Zweckverband Deutsches Sielhafenmuseum in Carolinensiel
- Directie
- Dr. Heike Ritter-Eden
- Bezoekers per jaar
- ca. 30.000 (2017)
Toegangsprijzen & kortingen
| Volwassenen | € 12 |
|---|---|
| Met korting | € 10University students, trainees, school students, retirees, holders of the Ehrenamtskarte, unemployed people, asylum seekers, people with severe disabilities (from 50%), military and voluntary service participants, recipients of social assistance, and groups per person |
| Kinderen & jongeren | gratisgratis t/m 17 jaar · Children and teenagers under 18 free. |
| Senioren | € 10Reduction for retirees. |
| Mensen met een beperking | € 10From a degree of disability of 50. |
| Studenten | € 10 |
| Groepen | € 10 p.p.Reduced admission per person. |
| Single admission Groot Hus | € 8 |
| Single admission Kapitänshaus | € 5 |
| Single admission Alte Pastorei | € 5 |
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.
Toegankelijkheid
- Deels rolstoeltoegankelijk
- Lift
- Aangepast toilet
- Gehandicaptenparkeerplaats
- Hulphonden welkom: geen informatie
- Tastmodellen / voelbare objecten: geen informatie
- Rondleidingen in gebarentaal: geen informatie
- Informatie in eenvoudige taal
- Audiodescriptie: geen informatie
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.
Kinderen & gezin
Erg geschikt voor kinderen & gezinnen
| Toegang kinderen | gratis t/m 17 jaar |
|---|
- Gezinsrondleidingen & workshops
- Speurtocht, doeboekje of kinderaudiotour
- Doe- en voelstations
- Verschoonruimte
- Speeltuin / speelhoek
- Kinderfeestjes
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.
Bereikbaarheid & parkeren
Met de auto
Parkeerplaats aanwezig
Parking lot at the Alte Pastorei with accessible parking spaces.
- Gehandicaptenparkeerplaats
The three museum buildings are located around the museum harbor in the center of Carolinensiel.
Route plannenService & horeca
- Museumwinkel
Museum shop in the Groot Hus with books, tiles, and regional products. Dogs and other pets are not allowed in the museum buildings.
Evenementen & zaalverhuur
- Ruimtes te huur
- Bruiloften / trouwceremonies
Tot 70 personen.
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.
Aanvragen & detailsJe bezoek plannen
| Rondleidingen | ja · duur ca. 1,5 uur |
|---|---|
| Audiotour | ja |
| Aanbod voor scholen | ja |
| Goed om te weten | Audio guide as a web app for your own smartphone. Open guided walks through Carolinensiel (April to October on the 2nd and 4th Sunday, 11:00, from the Groot Hus) and harbor tours in Harlesiel (1st and 3rd Wednesday, 11:00), each about 90 minutes, €10 or €8 online. House and thematic tours for groups by arrangement (60 or 90 minutes). School classes with children up to age 15 only with a tour or program. Boat trips with the museum cutter possible. |





