Die Sammlung des Deutschen Hafenmuseums
2026-08-02 10:00 | Australiastraße 50a, 20457 Hamburg
The permanent exhibition of the German Port Museum can literally be
explored on foot by walking around the grounds. The exhibits inside
Shed 50 are rather small compared to the floating exhibits or the
cranes on the quay, but of course they are all equally important for
learning about the port's history.

In the open-air area stand the first large pieces of equipment from
the early days of containerization
[https://www.shmh.de/ausstellungen/bremer-kai/] : van carriers, which
were developed for transporting the "boxes" at the terminals. How they
work is demonstrated regularly. The large gantry cranes, which once
handled the transfer between ships and warehouses, line the Bremen
quayside.

The pontoon bridge [https://www.shmh.de/ausstellungen/die-flotte/]
provides access to the steam dredger SAUGER IV from 1909 and the
floating steam crane SAATSEE from 1917. Both large vessels are
equipped with steam engines that are operated one weekend a month. An
exhibition on the Hamburg box barge H 11347 from 1913 illustrates the
work of the barge captain and life on board.

In the exhibition depot in Shed 50A,
[https://www.shmh.de/ausstellungen/50er-schuppen/] visitors can find
information about goods from all over the world, ship models, or the
historical development of the port facilities.

The PEKING [https://www.shmh.de/ausstellungen/peking-2/] is the first
visible object in the collection of the German Port Museum. The
four-masted barque is one of the last large cargo ships that, at the
beginning of the 20th century, could still compete with steam and
motor ships due to its speed, safety, and precision. The ship served
as a transport vessel for the then highly sought-after nitrate from
Chile.

The listed BLEICHEN,
[https://www.shmh.de/ausstellungen/stueckgutfrachter-ms-bleichen/]
which is owned by the Hamburg Maritime Foundation, represents an
entire generation of cargo ships.
