August, 2005 - Nr. 8
Emigration Museum opens in Bremerhaven
TWIG - Over seven million people passed through the German port city of Bremerhaven on their way to New York City between 1830 and 1974. Now, their American descendents can experience their ancestors’ journey to the New World and trace their roots in Germany at the German Emigration Center, which opens in Bremerhaven on August 8.
History comes alive at the center, which is now Europe’s largest museum based on a single theme. Visitors can relive the harrowing trip their ancestors faced - if on a smaller scale - and learn the fates of families just like theirs who settled throughout the United States. From the departure at the crack of dawn to the weeks-long ocean crossing and arriving to long lines at the Ellis Island port of entrance, visitors can learn about all parts of the emigration experience through interactive multimedia exhibitions.
Not just a place to peruse the past, the center also has a "Migration Forum" that offers present-day tips for people looking to move to a different country, including the complex visa issues people face and the green card lottery that offers just 50,000 visas to foreign aliens to come to the United States every year. The forum also looks at migration trends around the world and presents information on how different countries are adapting to life in a multi-cultural society.
Many Americans have already made an important contribution to the museum by acting as sponsors or by offering up their families’ personal histories to be told in the museum’s exhibitions. One of them, Robert Frizzell from Missouri, even won a trip to Germany and in June became the first American to visit the center.
Visitors to the museum can delight in the cuisine at the restaurant Chico’s Place, featuring fare from around the world and a special "Emigration Menu."
The center recently supported a "historical reality" television program that recreated the 1855 voyage of 16 passengers and 16 sailors. The show was broadcast on German television in May.
The German Emigration Center will be open to the public
beginning August 9.
Republished with permission from "The Week in Germany"
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