Cuxhaven (; ) is a town and seat of the Cuxhaven district, in

Lower Saxony Lower Saxony is a States of Germany, German state (') in Northern Germany, northwestern Germany. It is the second-largest state by land area, with , and fourth-largest in population (8 million in 2021) among the 16 ' of the Germany, Federal Re ...

, Germany. The town includes the northernmost point of Lower Saxony. It is situated on the shore of the

North Sea The North Sea lies between Great Britain, Denmark, Norway, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, and France. A sea on the European continental shelf, it connects to the Atlantic Ocean through the English Channel in the south and the Norwegian Se ...

at the mouth of the

Elbe The Elbe ( ; ; or ''Elv''; Upper Sorbian, Upper and , ) is one of the major rivers of Central Europe. It rises in the Giant Mountains of the northern Czech Republic before traversing much of Bohemia (western half of the Czech Republic), then Ge ...

River. Cuxhaven has a footprint of (east–west) by (north–south). Its town quarters

Duhnen Duhnen (toponym derived from dunes) is a seaside resort (''Seebad'' ) along the North Sea, from the centre of Cuxhaven city, Lower Saxony, Germany. Duhnen is located northwest of Berlin. In 1935 Duhnen was incorporated into the city of Cuxh ...

Döse Döse (Low German: ''Döös'') the northernmost town in Lower Saxony, Germany at the point where the River Elbe flows into the North Sea. It is a borough of the city Cuxhaven and a popular seaside resort. Döse is located west of Grimmershörn in ...

and Sahlenburg are especially popular vacation spots on the

and home to about 52,000 residents. Cuxhaven is home to an important fisherman's wharf and ship registration point for

Hamburg Hamburg (, ; ), officially the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg,. is the List of cities in Germany by population, second-largest city in Germany after Berlin and List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, 7th-lar ...

as well as the

Kiel Canal The Kiel Canal (, until 1948 called in German the ) is a fresh water canal that links the North Sea () to the Baltic Sea (). It runs through the Germany, German states of Germany, state of Schleswig-Holstein, from Brunsbüttel to the Holtenau di ...

until 2008. Tourism is also of great importance. The city and its precursor Ritzebüttel belonged to Hamburg from the 13th century until 1937. What remains of Ritzebüttel is

Ritzebüttel Castle Ritzebüttel Castle in Cuxhaven was the residence of the Hamburg bailiffs, back when Ritzebüttel still belonged to the city of Hamburg. The castle, part of which dates back to the 14th century, is one of the oldest preserved secular buildings o ...

(''). The island of

Neuwerk Neuwerk (; ; ''Archaic English'': New Werk or Newark) is a tidal island in the Wadden Sea ("Mudflat Sea") a marginal part of North Sea along the German coast. The population in 2023 was 21. Neuwerk is located northwest of Cuxhaven, between th ...

, a Hamburg dependency, is located just northwest of Cuxhaven in the North Sea. The city's symbol, known as the

Kugelbake The Kugelbake (English: Ball Beacon) is a historic day beacon in the city of Cuxhaven, Germany, at the northernmost point of Lower Saxony, where the River Elbe flows into the North Sea. In the Low German dialect of the Middle Ages, the term ''bake ...

, is a beacon once used as a

lighthouse A lighthouse is a tower, building, or other type of physical structure designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lens (optics), lenses and to serve as a beacon for navigational aid for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways. Ligh ...

; the wooden landmark on the mouth of the Elbe marks the boundary between the river and the North Sea and also adorns the city's coat of arms.

History

Ritzebüttel, today a part of Cuxhaven, belonged to the

Land of Hadeln Land Hadeln is a historic landscape and former administrative district in Northern Germany with its seat in Otterndorf on the Niederelbe, Lower Elbe, the lower reaches of the River Elbe, in the Elbe-Weser Triangle between the estuaries of the E ...

, first an exclave of the younger Duchy of Saxony and after its de facto dynastic partition in 1296 of the

Duchy of Saxe-Lauenburg The Duchy of Saxe-Lauenburg (, ), was a ''reichsfrei'' duchy that existed from 1296 to 1803 and again from 1814 to 1876 in the extreme southeast region of what is now Schleswig-Holstein. Its territorial centre was in the modern district of Herzo ...

, established ''

de jure In law and government, ''de jure'' (; ; ) describes practices that are officially recognized by laws or other formal norms, regardless of whether the practice exists in reality. The phrase is often used in contrast with '' de facto'' ('from fa ...

'' in 1260. In 1394 the city of

conquered the fortress of Ritzebüttel and made it its stronghold to protect the estuary of the river

, which connects that city with the open sea. The population in 1848 was about 800 inhabitants. The

Hamburg America Line The Hamburg-Amerikanische Packetfahrt-Actien-Gesellschaft (HAPAG), known in English as the Hamburg America Line, was a transatlantic shipping enterprise established in Hamburg, in 1847. Among those involved in its development were prominent Germ ...

built a large

ocean liner An ocean liner is a type of passenger ship primarily used for transportation across seas or oceans. Ocean liners may also carry cargo or mail, and may sometimes be used for other purposes (such as for pleasure cruises or as hospital ships). The ...

terminal at Cuxhaven in 1900. Connected directly to Hamburg by a dedicated railway line and station, it served as the major departure point for

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

and European emigrants until 1969 when ocean liner travel ceased. The ornate assembly hall and associated buildings survived wartime damage and peacetime urban renewal to be restored in 1998 for use as a museum and

cruise ship Cruise ships are large passenger ships used mainly for vacationing. Unlike ocean liners, which are used for transport, cruise ships typically embark on round-trip voyages to various ports of call, where passengers may go on Tourism, tours k ...

terminal. On 15 March 1907 Cuxhaven gained city status within the state of Hamburg. In 1937 Cuxhaven became an

urban district An urban district is a division generally managed by a local government. It may also refer to a city district, district, urban area or quarter Specific urban districts in some countries include: * Urban districts of Denmark * Districts of Germa ...

of the Stade Region within the Prussian

Province of Hanover The Province of Hanover () was a Provinces of Prussia, province of the Kingdom of Prussia and the Free State of Prussia from 1866 to 1946. During the Austro-Prussian War, the Kingdom of Hanover had attempted to maintain a neutral position, alo ...

by the

Greater Hamburg Act The Greater Hamburg Act (), in full the Law Regarding Greater Hamburg and Other Territorial Readjustments (), was passed by the government of Nazi Germany on 26 January 1937, and mandated the exchange of territories between Hamburg and the Free S ...

. In 1972 some municipalities of the neighboured rural district of ''Land of Hadeln'' were incorporated into the urban district of Cuxhaven. In 1977 Cuxhaven lost the status as urban district and was integrated into the new rural District of Cuxhaven, being its capital. During the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

Nordholz Airbase with its

airship hangar Airship hangars (also known as airship sheds) are large specialized buildings that are used for sheltering airships during construction, maintenance and storage. Rigid airships always needed to be based in airship hangars because weathering was a s ...

s, near

Nordholz Nordholz is a village and a former municipality in the district of Cuxhaven, in Lower Saxony, Germany. Since 1 January 2015 it is part of the municipality Wurster Nordseeküste. It is situated approximately 25 km north of Bremerhaven, and 1 ...

to the south of Cuxhaven, was one of the major

Imperial German Navy The Imperial German Navy or the ''Kaiserliche Marine'' (Imperial Navy) was the navy of the German Empire, which existed between 1871 and 1919. It grew out of the small Prussian Navy (from 1867 the North German Federal Navy), which was mainly for ...

airship An airship, dirigible balloon or dirigible is a type of aerostat (lighter-than-air) aircraft that can navigate through the air flying powered aircraft, under its own power. Aerostats use buoyancy from a lifting gas that is less dense than the ...

stations. On Christmas Day 1914 it was attacked by

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the naval warfare force of the United Kingdom. It is a component of His Majesty's Naval Service, and its officers hold their commissions from the King of the United Kingdom, King. Although warships were used by Kingdom ...

seaplanes in the

Cuxhaven Raid The Raid on Cuxhaven (, Christmas Raid) was a British ship-based air-raid on the Imperial German Navy at Cuxhaven mounted on Christmas Day, 1914. Aircraft of the Royal Naval Air Service were carried to within striking distance by seaplane tend ...

. It subsequently became a strategically important city as German authorities and civilians feared it would be the site of an Allied invasion. During the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, the town hosted a base of a

Wehrmacht The ''Wehrmacht'' (, ) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the German Army (1935–1945), ''Heer'' (army), the ''Kriegsmarine'' (navy) and the ''Luftwaffe'' (air force). The designation "''Wehrmac ...

radio network, codenamed BROWN, which transmitted data regarding experimental weapon developments, including rocketry. From this location the last

ENIGMA Enigma may refer to: *Riddle, someone or something that is mysterious or puzzling Biology *ENIGMA, a class of gene in the LIM domain Computing and technology * Enigma (company), a New York–based data-technology startup *Enigma machine, a famil ...

-code–encrypted message of the war was transmitted on 7 May 1945. It reported the arrival of

British troops The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom. the British Army comprises 73,847 regular full-time personnel, 4,127 Gurkhas, 25,742 volunteer reserve personnel and 4,697 "other personnel", for a total of 108,4 ...

and ends: "Closing down for ever – all the best – goodbye." Between 1945 and 1964 the

Hermann-Oberth-Gesellschaft The Hermann Oberth Gesellschaft (1952-1993) was an association named after Hermann Oberth, the German astronautics pioneer and the authoritative expert on rocketry outside the United States, which develops and builds rockets and trains engineers in ...

performed various civilian experiments in rocketry near Cuxhaven.

Tourism

The origins of tourism go back to the year 1816 when a seaside resort was founded in Cuxhaven. Since 1964 Cuxhaven has been a state-recognized climate seaside resort (''Seeheilbad'') and centre of the so-called holiday region of

Cuxland Cuxland, in a tourist sense, is the land between the River Weser and the mouth of the Elbe in the district of Cuxhaven on Germany's North Sea coast. Concept The term ''Cuxland'' is an artificial word that has purely been coined for tourist purp ...

. In the village of ''Lüdingworth'', in the southern part of the town, stands the ''Jacobikirche, Saint Jack's Church''. Due to its

organ Organ and organs may refer to: Biology * Organ (biology), a group of tissues organized to serve a common function * Organ system, a collection of organs that function together to carry out specific functions within the body. Musical instruments ...

Arp Schnitger Arp Schnitger (2 July 164828 July 1719 (buried)) was an influential Northern German organ builder. Considered the paramount manufacturer of his time, Schnitger built or rebuilt over 150 organs. He was primarily active in Northern Europe, especial ...

and its lavish

baroque The Baroque ( , , ) is a Western Style (visual arts), style of Baroque architecture, architecture, Baroque music, music, Baroque dance, dance, Baroque painting, painting, Baroque sculpture, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished from ...

interior, the building is one of the most notable of its kind in all

Geographical and cultural background

The town is served by Cuxhaven station. The island of

is situated off the coast from Cuxhaven. At

low tide Tides are the rise and fall of sea levels caused by the combined effects of the gravitational forces exerted by the Moon (and to a much lesser extent, the Sun) and are also caused by the Earth and Moon orbiting one another. Tide tables c ...

the water recedes so far from the coast that the island can be reached either by

mudflat hiking Mudflat hiking (, , West Frisian: ''Waadrinnen'', ) is a recreation enjoyed in the Netherlands, northwest Germany, Denmark, England and France. Mudflat hikers are people who, with the aid of a tide table, use a period of low water to walk and wad ...

or by

horse carriage A carriage is a two- or four-wheeled horse-drawn vehicle for passengers. In Europe they were a common mode of transport for the wealthy during the Roman Empire, and then again from around 1600 until they were replaced by the motor car around 1 ...

. A modern landmark of Cuxhaven is the

Friedrich-Clemens-Gerke Tower Friedrich Clemens Gerke Tower is a 230 metre tall telecommunication tower of reinforced concrete in Cuxhaven in Germany. Friedrich Clemens Gerke Tower, which is named after Friedrich Clemens Gerke, was completed in 1991 and is not accessible for t ...

, a telecommunication tower built of concrete, which is not accessible to the public. It is not really a landmark, for many cities in Germany have a similar tower. The

high-test peroxide High-test peroxide (HTP) is a highly concentrated (85 to 98%) solution of hydrogen peroxide, with the remainder consisting predominantly of water. In contact with a catalyst, it decomposes into a high-temperature mixture of steam and oxygen, with n ...

(HTP) submarine ''U1407'' was raised from where she had been scuttled in Cuxhaven after

WWII World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

and rebuilt by the British, being commissioned as HMS ''Meteorite''. It was the catalyst for a series of German-made

air-independent propulsion Air-independent propulsion (AIP), or air-independent power, is any marine propulsion technology that allows a non-nuclear submarine to operate without access to atmospheric oxygen (by surfacing or using a snorkel). AIP can augment or replace th ...

submarines such as the

Type 212 The Type 212A is a class of diesel-electric attack submarine developed by Howaldtswerke-Deutsche Werft AG (HDW) for the German Navy (), and the Italian Navy where it is known as the ''Todaro'' class. It features diesel propulsion and an add ...

and

Type 214 The Type 214 is a class of diesel–electric powertrain, diesel–electric submarines developed exclusively for export by Howaldtswerke-Deutsche Werft, Howaldtswerke-Deutsche Werft GmbH (HDW). It features diesel propulsion with an air-independen ...

Twin towns – sister cities

Cuxhaven is twinned with: *

Binz Binz is the largest seaside resort city on the German island of Rügen. It is situated between the bay of Prorer Wiek and the ''Schmachter See'' (a lake) in the southeast of the island. To the north of Binz stretches the Schmale Heide (the "na ...

, Germany (1990) *

Hafnarfjörður Hafnarfjörður, officially Hafnarfjarðarkaupstaður, is a port town and municipality in Iceland, located about south of Reykjavík. The municipality consists of two non-contiguous areas in the Capital Region (Iceland), Capital Region, on the s ...

, Iceland (1988) *

Penzance Penzance ( ; ) is a town, civil parish and port in the Penwith district of Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It is the westernmost major town in Cornwall and is about west-southwest of Plymouth and west-southwest of London. Situated in the ...

, England, United Kingdom (1967–1974, 2009–present) *

Sassnitz Sassnitz (, before 1993 in ) is a town on the Jasmund peninsula, Rügen Island, in the state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany. The population as of 2012 was 9,498. Sassnitz is a well-known seaside resort and port town, and is a gateway to th ...

, Germany (1990) *

Vannes Vannes (; , , ) is a Communes of France, commune in the Departments of France, French department of Morbihan, Brittany (administrative region), Brittany, northwestern mainland France. It was founded over 2,000 years ago. History Celtic ...

, France (1963)

Notable people

Carsten Niebuhr Carsten Niebuhr, or Karsten Niebuhr (17 March 1733 Cuxhaven, Lüdingworth – 26 April 1815 Meldorf, Dithmarschen), was a German mathematician, Cartography, cartographer, and Geographical exploration, explorer in the service of Denmark-Norway. He ...

(1733–1815), mathematician, cartographer and explorer. *

Joachim Ringelnatz Joachim Ringelnatz is the pen name of the German author and painter Hans Bötticher (7 August 1883 in Wurzen, Saxony – 17 November 1934 in Berlin). From 1894 to 1900 he lived with his family in the Gottschedstrasse 40 in Leipzig. Profile Hi ...

(1883–1934), poet, cabaret artiste and painter. Since 2002 the city hosts the Joachim Ringelnatz-Museum, managed by the Joachim Ringelnatz-Foundation. *

Francis Dutton Francis Stacker Dutton CMG (18 October 1818 – 25 January 1877) was the seventh Premier of South Australia, serving twice, firstly in 1863 and again in 1865. Early life and education Francis Dutton was born at Cuxhaven, Germany, where his f ...

CMG (1818–1877), 7th

Premier of South Australia The premier of South Australia is the head of government in the state of South Australia, Australia. The Government of South Australia follows the Westminster system, with a Parliament of South Australia acting as the legislature. The premier i ...

Anna Strohsahl Anna Emilie Strohsahl, born ''Franze'' (2 October 1885 – 1 January 1953) was a German politician (Social Democratic Party of Germany, SPD) and the first female city councillor ("Ratsmann") in Cuxhaven City Parliament. Protesting the Nazi Party ...

(1885–1953), first woman city councillor in Cuxhaven * Curt Rothenberger (1896–1959), lawyer and Nazi politician * August Dieckmann (1912–1943),

Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross (), or simply the Knight's Cross (), and its variants, were the highest awards in the military and paramilitary forces of Nazi Germany during World War II. While it was order of precedence, lower in preceden ...

recipient *

Rainer Feist Admiral Rainer Feist (12 April 1945 – 19 May 2007) was an officer in the German Navy until his retirement in 2004. Military career Feist was born in Cuxhaven, Lower Saxony. He enlisted in the Bundeswehr in 1966 as an officer cadet and graduated ...

(1945–2007), Admiral, Deputy Supreme Commander of the

NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO ; , OTAN), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental organization, intergovernmental Transnationalism, transnational military alliance of 32 Member states of NATO, member s ...

– HQ * Stefanie Schneider (born 1968), photographer/artist *

Volker Neumüller Volker Neumüller (born 18 October 1969) is a German music manager and was known for being a judge on ''Deutschland sucht den Superstar''. Career Born in Cuxhaven, Neumüller has been involved in the music industry since 1987. In 1991, he bec ...

(born 1969), music manager and former DSDS jury member * Constantin Schreiber (born 1979), journalist and author

Sport

Jochen Fraatz Jochen Fraatz (born 14 May 1963) is a former German handball player who competed in the 1984 Summer Olympics and in the 1992 Summer Olympics. In 1984 he was a member of the West German handball team which won the silver medal A silver medal ...

(born 1963), handball player, member of the national team, team silver medallist at the

1984 Summer Olympics The 1984 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXIII Olympiad and commonly known as Los Angeles 1984) were an international multi-sport event held from July 28 to August 12, 1984, in Los Angeles, California, United States. It marked the ...

* Gunnar Sauer (born 1964), footballer, played 303 matches *

Lena Petermann Lena Petermann (; born 5 February 1994) is a German professional footballer who plays as a forward for Frauen-Bundesliga club Werder Bremen. She has appeared for the Germany national team. Club career Petermann played at TSV Otterndorf, where s ...

(born 1994), footballer, played over 170 matches, including 22 for

Germany women's national football team The Germany women's national football team () represents Germany in international Women's association football, women's football. The team is governed by the German Football Association (DFB). The Germany national team is one of the most succ ...

Climate

Cuxhaven has an

oceanic climate An oceanic climate, also known as a marine climate or maritime climate, is the temperate climate sub-type in Köppen climate classification, Köppen classification represented as ''Cfb'', typical of west coasts in higher middle latitudes of co ...

(

Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Bernd Köppen (1951–2014), German pianist and composer * Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan * Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author ...

: ''Cfb''; Trewartha: ''Dobk''), located on the coast of the Baltic Sea, the weather is noticeably warmer in winter and cooler in summer. The Cuxhaven weather station has recorded the following extreme values: * Its highest temperature was on 9 August 1992. * Its lowest temperature was on 24 February 1947. * Its greatest annual precipitation was in 1998. * Its least annual precipitation was in 1959. * The longest annual sunshine was 2179.3 hours in 1947. * The shortest annual sunshine was 1421.7 hours in 1988.

References

External links

Official site

Further Tourist Information
{{Authority control Rocket launch sites in Germany Towns in Lower Saxony Populated places established in 1907 Port cities and towns in Germany Port cities and towns of the North Sea Populated riverside places in Germany Populated places on the Elbe Seaside resorts in Germany Populated coastal places in Germany (North Sea)