Wilhelmshaven Travel Guide
A detailed destination guide for your next Germany vacation
Wilhelmshaven Overview
Wilhelmshaven is a town in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated at the western coast of the Jadebusen, which is a bay of the North Sea.
Wilhelmshaven is the German navy's main base at the North Sea again. It is also the third largest German port (after Hamburg (Hamburg vacation rentals | Hamburg travel guide) and the combined ports of Bremen (Bremen vacation rentals | Bremen travel guide) and Bremerhaven) with mainly oil products being loaded and unloaded. Besides the military, chemical industries and a refinery are the main employers of Wilhelmshaven which has one of the highest unemployment rates in the western part of Germany. The oil terminal and the refinery are connected with other German industrial centres by pipelines. Wilhelmshaven also provides an Applied Sciences University (Fachhochschule) for engineering and business sciences.
Where to stay in Wilhelmshaven?
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Things to See in Wilhelmshaven
Aquarium Wilhelmshaven, an aquarium with native animals from the North Sea, the information centre of the Lower Saxony Wadden Sea National Park.
The Botanischer Garten der Stadt Wilhelmshaven, a municipal botanical garden.
The Deutsches Marinemuseum (Navy Museum), whose main exhibits are the former German Navy] destroyer Mölders (D186), a submarine, and some smaller warships as well as an exhibition of German naval history from the 19th century onwards.
The Küstenmuseum (Coast Museum).
As the town's landmark the Kaiser-Wilhelm-Brücke ("Emperor Wilhelm Bridge") is considered, which crosses an inlet of the Jadebusen. It was built in 1905 to 1907; with a length of 159 m it was once the greatest swing bridge of Europe.
The Town Hall (Rathaus), a large brick building, constructed in 1927-1929 by the architect Fritz Höger as the town hall of the city of Rüstringen.
The Christus-und-Garnisionskirche, the oldest church of the city. It was built in 1869 by the Prussian architect Friedrich Adler.
Kaiser-Wilhelm-Denkmal at the Friedrich-Wilhelm-Platz, a monument erected in memory of emperor Wilhelm I of Prussia in 1896, who was one of the founder of the city. After the statue had been melted down in 1942, it was reconstructed in 1994.
The entrance building of the former Kaiserliche Marinewerft ("emperor's shipyard"), built in the 1870s.
The building of the former Kaiserliche Westwerft ("emperor's western shipyard"), completed in 1913.
[ source: wikipedia ]
Maps and Driving Directions to Wilhelmshaven
Wilhelmshaven
[ source: Flickr]
Related Sites
We collected some useful links related to Wilhelmshaven. If you know a few more sites not listed here, or also know some insider tips or point of interests for this destination? Please share and submit your Germany travel tip. If approved it will be shown on this page!
- Homepage of Wilhelmshaven: Wilhelmshaven (official home page)
- Wikipedia: Wilhelmshaven
More about the History of Wilhelmshaven
As early as 1383, the Sibetsburg castle existed, which was owned by pirates and destroyed in 1433 by the Hanseatic League. Four centuries later the Kingdom of Prussia planned a fleet and a harbour at the North Sea. In 1853, Prince Adalbert of Prussia arranged the Jade Treaty (Jade-Vertrag) with the Grand Duchy of Oldenburg (Oldenburg vacation rentals | Oldenburg travel guide), in which Prussia and the grand duchy entered into a contract: 3.13 km² of Oldenburgian territory at the Jadebusen should be ceded to Prussia. In 1869, King William I of Prussia (later also German Emperor) founded the town as an exclave of the Province of Hanover for a naval base of Prussia's developing fleet. All the hinterland of the city belonged to the Duchy of Oldenburg. In 1937, Wilhelmshaven and Rüstringen merged and the united city, named Wilhelmshaven, became a part of the Free State of Oldenburg. On 30th June 1934, Wilhelmshaven played host to the launch of Pocket Battleship Admiral Graf Spee.
[ source: wikipedia ]
What makes this Live Like a German Wilhelmshaven Travel Guide special...
This Wilhelmshaven travel guide provides you with an overview of Wilhelmshaven, Wilhelmshaven pictures, and a local travel guide that suggests many special trips, unique activities, and vacation ideas, that you can't find in a typical Germany travel guide.
Some of this information is compiled from popular and well-known sources (e.g., such as Wikipedia, Wikitravel, and great pictures from Flickr). However, what makes this Germany travel guide special is that most of the travel suggestions and insider tips are provided by local residents, property owners, and our readers, who share and submit their travel tips with us. All submissions are then editorially reviewed to ensure high quality. All this information is logically organized within this destination guide to make it easy for you to find things quickly.
In addition, the Wilhelmshaven destination guide features restaurant recommendations, restaurant reviews, where to go for grocery shopping, sports activities, getting around, cultural events and highlights, entertainment, and health related information - so you are informed for your travel to Germany, and you can learn about all the cool things you can do during your Germany vacation!
