Hamburg Metropolitan Region, Germany: 7th Days of Industrial Heritage on the Waterfront
From the eastern bank of the Weser to the western edge of the Mecklenburg Lake District, from Lüneburg Heath to the Baltic coast near Wismar and Lübeck: the Hamburg Metropolitan Region is shaped by both its proximity to the sea and its rivers and canals. The industrial landscape – with classics of industrial history, but also many unknown or hidden gems – is dominated by water as well. On 23 and 24 September, visitors can delve deep into this unique heritage of technology and working life.
Harbours, ships, locks, lighthouses, bridges, shipyards, water mills, pumping stations, irrigation systems and, of course, factories and power plants: 112 historic industrial sites and museums join the seventh "Days of Industrial Heritage on the Waterfront" for guided tours and demonstrations, visits and hands-on activities to showcase their facilities and tell their stories, with water always playing a major role. ERIH sites are also taking part, such as the German Salt Museum in Lüneburg or the Kaltehofe Elbe Island Water Art.
Another exciting discovery is the Ewer "Margareta" right in the centre of former Hanseatic city Buxtehude. Ewer is the term for the flat-bottomed ships typical of the region, which have been used in navigation on the Lower Elbe river and its tributaries as of the 13th century, and thus served places that, like Buxtehude, are located some 100 kilometres from the coast. The Curslack field drainage mill, on the other hand, stands for hundreds of wind-powered versions of its kind that once existed in the marshlands and that have only survived in this single building in the Rieck Haus open-air museum. The Rendsburg High Bridge provides a completely different highlight as it is one of the largest steel structures in Europe.
Among the new features this year are two historic ships: the fishing vessel "Marlen" in Wismar, one of the last original survivors of GDR fisheries, and the "Peking", a barque of four masts built in 1911 in Hamburg, which marks the end of the sailboat era. Dating from the same year is the Elbe Tunnel in Hamburg's St. Pauli district – another new entry in the programme of this year's industrial heritage festival. These few examples reveal the diversity of the attractions on offer, covering a wide range of activities for technophiles, culture lovers and families.