Sort of a bookend for New York's Ellis Island, Hamburg's excellent emigration museum looks at the conditions that drove about 5 million people to leave Germany for the US and South America in search of better lives from 1850 until the 1930s. Multilingual displays address the hardships endured before and during the voyage and upon arrival in the New World. About 4km southeast of the city centre, BallinStadt is easily reached by S-Bahn.
ullstein bild via Getty Images
Auswanderermuseum BallinStadt
Top choice in Hamburg
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
2.15 MILES
St Nikolai church was the world’s tallest building from 1874 to 1876, and it remains Hamburg’s second-tallest structure (after the TV tower). Mostly…
3.09 MILES
Here's the perfect excuse to stay up all Saturday night. Every Sunday in the wee hours, some 70,000 locals and visitors descend upon the famous Fischmarkt…
1.96 MILES
Welcome to one of the most Europe's most exciting recent architectural creations. A squat brown-brick former warehouse at the far west of HafenCity was…
2.46 MILES
A treasure trove of art from the Renaissance to the present day, the Kunsthalle spans two buildings linked by an underground passage. The main building…
-
2.31 MILES
With its spectacular coffered ceiling, Hamburg’s baroque Rathaus is one of Europe’s most opulent, and is renowned for its Emperor’s Hall and Great Hall…
-
24.7 MILES
The medieval Rathaus has a spectacular baroque facade, added in 1720 and decorated with coats of arms and three tiers of statues. The top row represents …
-
2.5 MILES
‘Der Michel’, as it is affectionately called, is one of Hamburg’s most recognisable landmarks and northern Germany’s largest Protestant baroque church…
-
24.91 MILES
The cobbled, slightly wobbly street and square Am Sande is full of red-brick buildings with typically Hanseatic stepped gables. Even among these striking…
Nearby Hamburg attractions
1.22 MILES
Opened in May 2018, Baakenpark, on the southeastern reaches of HafenCity, is proof that the HafenCity development hasn't forgotten the need for parks…
2. HafenCity Nachhaltigkeitspavillon
1.68 MILES
For alternative, greener take on the whole HafenCity development, this intriguing exhibit takes a look at sustainable urban development and…
1.68 MILES
During WWII, 20 Jewish children were chosen by Dr Josef Mengele at Auschwitz and sent to Neuengamme concentration camp near Hamburg for medical…
4. Internationales Maritimes Museum
1.74 MILES
Hamburg's maritime past – and future – is fully explored in this excellent private museum that sprawls over 10 floors of a revamped brick shipping…
1.84 MILES
Two grandly restored brick market halls, built in 1911 and 1913 respectively, are home to high-profile special exhibitions of modern art and photography.
1.88 MILES
Coffee has always been an important part of Hamburg's trading scene and this excellent museum takes you through this history and has a live roasting…
1.93 MILES
You can pick up brochures and check out detailed architectural models and installations that give a sense of the immensity of the project; there's a scale…
1.95 MILES
This spice and herb museum invites you to exercise your olfaction to the fullest.