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Klimahaus Bremerhaven 8° Ost

ABOVE: An evening view of the Klimahaus in Bremerhaven, Germany.

By Durant Imboden

Bremerhaven, the seaport for the city-state of Bremen in Northwestern Germany, has undergone a tourism renaissance in recent years. Ocean liners no longer ply the transatlantic route between New York and Bremerhaven, but the city's waterfront is now the site of apartment houses, restaurants, and several outstanding museums: among them, the German Maritime Museum, the German Emigration Center, and the family-friendly Klimahaus Bremerhaven 8° Ost.

The theme of the Klimahaus or "Climate House" is simple yet clever: The museum takes you on a journey around the world on the 8th degree of longitude east, from Bremerhaven through the Equator to Antarctica and back again via the other side of the globe.

Along the way, you'll be introduced to the elements, visit countries in five different climate zones (complete with synthesized weather), and have the chance to explore interactive exhibits that range from a do-it-yourself weather broadcasting studio to a CO_² terminal where you can measure your own carbon footprint.

The largest section of the museum is the Journey. It has nine different exhibits that include Bremerhaven, the Isenthal of Switzerland, rural Sardinia, the tropical heat of Cameroon (including nighttime in a rainforest), a desert landscape in the Niger, cloudbursts and green gorges in Samoa, an underwater reef, and icy Antarctica.

In the Elements section, you can conduct experiments of your own at 100 interactive exhibits about fire, earth, water, and air.

The Perspectives section of the museum looks at past and present climates, along with impacts on the future.

In the Chances or Opportunities section, you'll be shown choices that you can make to reduce climate carbon-dioxide emissions that affect climate.

Visitor information:

The Klimahaus is open daily, including public holidays. Ticket prices are fairly steep, but there are discounts for children from 5-17, full-time students, and the disabled. Family tickets also are available. For detailed visitor information in English, see the Klimahaus Web site.

Next page: More Klimahaus photos

About the author:

Durant Imboden is a professional travel writer, book author, and editor who focuses on European cities and transportation.

After 4-1/2 years of covering European travel topics for About.com, Durant and Cheryl Imboden co-founded Europe for Visitors (now including Germany for Visitors) in 2001. The site has earned "Best of the Web" honors from Forbes and The Washington Post.

For more information, see About Europe for Visitors, press clippings, and reader testimonials.

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