Seafaring is fascinating, and the view of life on the coast is also exciting. Museums on the North Sea, in Bremen and even in Merano tell of the history and stories at sea and on land in very different exhibitions.
Navigation for the little ones
How do you set a ship on course with the help of the North Star or determine its location with a sextant? The Bremen Focke Museum provides answers to these and other questions in a hands-on exhibition for children and young people aged eight and over.
Young navigators can try out different types of orientation at six stations, from map work to navigation by ear. The hands-on programme is accompanied by stories about navigation: about the mysterious Bermuda Triangle, lost islands and lonely lighthouses, but also about Hanseatic trade routes across Europe. A medieval helmsman, an astronaut, a stork and a circumnavigator help to solve tasks in the exhibition. They provide useful and amusing tips on orientation and navigation in everyday life.
The special exhibition "From here to there" can be seen from 13 March to 25 September 2022 at the Focke-Museum - Bremen State Museum of Art and Cultural History
In addition to the exhibition, there is a Website with navigation to join in for school classes or children's groups. Anyone who has always wanted to build an astrolabe will find a crafting template here.
400 years of Vegesack harbour
The Museum Harbour Vegesack is 400 years old this year. This makes it the oldest man-made harbour in Germany. The town in the north of Bremen is celebrating this throughout the year. In addition to shows and concerts, two exhibitions take a look at the city and the harbour.
Until 24 April, the Overbeck Museum is hosting the exhibition "Vegesack, you beautiful little town " can be seen free of charge. The painter and author Heide Marie Voigt presents forays through the north of Bremen. In addition to her contemporary sketches, the museum is also showing the most beautiful motifs from Vegesack and the surrounding area by Fritz and Hermine Overbeck. The landscape painters were among the founders of the Worpswede artists' colony.
The eventful history of Vegesack harbour can be seen in an exhibition by the Schönebeck Castle Heritage Society from 30.04. to 28.08.2022.
Those who not only want to watch, but also join in the celebrations, will find here the whole programme around the harbour birthday.
Nothing going on in North Friesland? Not at all!
"An island is boring. There's nothing going on. You can only have fun there in summer. I'm sure they're all very taciturn there, typical of northern Germany. Just the sea everywhere, it's totally monotonous, isn't it?" The young people from Föhr know these and other comments well enough.
Photographer Andreas Jorns captured their answers with his camera over the course of two winters. He accompanied the young people at school and in their free time. Within cycling distance of Wyk harbour on the island of Föhr is the "Museum of the West Coast", where his Island Youth" exhibition shows the young people of Föhr on the beach and doing sport, in their clubs and at home. The fact that this is anything but boring can be seen until 27 November.
If you would like to take a look in advance, you can do so by taking a virtual tour: MKdW-3D.
Close to the harbour, a satellite exhibition in the stattBAR in Wyk on Föhr features contact prints and making-of shots that provide insights into the photographer's working methods.
"The last Vikings sail in deep-sea fishing"
In the 1960s, the deep-sea fishermen's association used this advertisement to attract young men to work on board the fishing vessels. This also marked the beginning of a change in Cuxhaven's history: the town's men no longer fished on their doorstep but in the North Atlantic, not on cutters but on ships that resembled fishing factories. They travelled for months on end.
With vivid staging, authentic exhibits and numerous photos, the museum throws "Wind force 10" a look at the period of upheaval in Cuxhaven's fishing industry from 1960 to 1990. The exhibition is open until 30 October 2022.
Tyrol's contribution to the "global circumnavigation endeavour"
Admittedly, Merano is a little too far away from the nearest harbour for a shore leave - but it is right in the middle of maritime world events with the "Global 500" exhibition:
A good 500 years ago, Ferdinand Magellan set off on the first circumnavigation of the globe. The Landesmuseum Schloss Tirol is honouring this historical event with an art installation by sculptor and woodcarver Lois Fasching. It also displays the most significant world maps and travelogues from regional libraries. They show how every blank spot on the map was filled in over the course of five centuries: an exploratory tour through the phenomenon of globalisation, based on historical figures, the old historical maps and the artistic approach to a constantly changing world (map) image.
The exhibition " Global 500 - from sailing around the world to the perception of the global " will take place from 26 March to 5 June 2022 at Schloss Tirol in Merano.
