Cities & Culture
BallinStadt Emigration Museum Hamburg
At the BallinStadt Emigration Museum in Hamburg, visitors can find out all about how people left Europe via the Hamburg port in search of a better life over 100 years ago.
The BallinStadt Emigration Museum presents the history of immigration and emigration spanning four eras. Hamburg used to be the main gateway out of Europe. On the historical site where emigration halls once stood, the stories of people and their hopes and dreams are brought to life in a 2,500-metre exhibition space. Between 1901 and 1907, shipping magnate Albert Ballin built an emigration settlement consisting of more than 30 buildings with space for as many as 5,000 people on the island of Veddel in the River Elbe.
With emigrants sometimes having to wait weeks before they could set off on their journey, they were provided with a place to sleep and eat, an infirmary, a church and a synagogue. And all of these original facilities can be marvelled at in the faithfully reconstructed pavilions. The award-winning BallinStadt concept includes interactive and multimedia exhibitions along with 1,500 original items. There is also a family research centre where visitors can try to trace their ancestors. Opening times: March to October, every day: 10 am–6 pm, November to February, every day: 10 am–4.30 pm