Shop Window Fishery Harbor

The history of the Bremerhaven showcase began with a bitter loss - the abandonment of the Bremerhaven fishing fleet with the designation "BX", the former largest in the state, was due to the new United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, which came into force in 1994. It allowed the coastal states to extend the exclusive economic zone up to 200 miles. Through this change in the use of the oceans under sovereign law, Germany lost almost all of the world's lucrative fishing grounds at a stroke. This led to a comprehensive structural change in Bremerhaven's fishing industry, at the end of which the fleet was completely lost in 1996. Although the fishing port of Bremerhaven remained the most important in Germany, and still is today, it shifted its focus to landing, processing and trading in sea fish. However, there are no longer any fishing vessels of their own.

Against this background, the City of Bremerhaven decided in the early 1990s to fundamentally redesign Fishing Harbor I, which was opened in 1896. The former fish handling area was to be transformed into a maritime world of experience. To an exciting place where visitors could gain an insight into the processing of fish and fish products. Where they can find out everything worth knowing about fish or simply enjoy it "surf fresh" from the kitchen.
A very special challenge for architects and town planners alike was above all to ensure that the redesign of the area would keep the place as authentic as possible. The focus was on Hall IV, the oldest fish hall in the port - the place where it all began. A complete demolition would have been sacrilege and, moreover, a completely wrong approach to the subject. The old was to be preserved as far as possible, converted and harmoniously complemented by an ensemble of modern architectural buildings.

Hall IV, which is now more than a hundred years old (built in 1907), housed processing plants, restaurants and maritime shops. Smokehouses offer their oven-fresh products directly on site and in some cases even provide a view into their smokehouses. The Forum Fischbahnhof, a multi-functional building, was built in 1996 directly opposite the Fish gourmet line, where events as well as congresses and concerts are held. The adjoining Fishery Harbor Theater offers space for about 300 guests and since 1996 has been captivating with a varied and quite remarkable program. At the other end of the forum is the sea fish cooking studio. This is a unique institution in Germany, which is considered an ambassador for fish, and with regularly held cooking shows including a fish buffet and extraordinary cooking seminars it really whets the appetite for seafood delicacies.

Between the two building complexes lies the heart of the Shop Window Fishery Harbor - the market square. This is where theme-specific events are regularly held during the open-air season, which are at once informative, tasty, sociable and entertaining. A terrace leads directly from the market square to the old harbor basin, which is lined by two modern and comfortable hotels. In the harbour itself, the saloon steamer "Hansa" and the museum trawler "Gera" offer both culinary and interesting planks to discover.

Link to the Shop Window Fishery Harbor:  www.schaufenster-fischereihafen.de

City Map Extract