Wilhelmshaven
Wilhelmshaven | |
|---|---|
 | |
 Coat of arms | |
Location of Wilhelmshaven  | |
Urban district | |
| Government | |
| • Lord mayor (2019–24) | Carsten Feist[1] (Ind.) |
| Area | |
| • Total | 106.91 km2 (41.28 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 2 m (7 ft) |
| Population (2021-12-31)[2] | |
| • Total | 75,027 |
| • Density | 700/km2 (1,800/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+01:00 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+02:00 (CEST) |
| Postal codes | 26351–26389 |
| Dialling codes | 04421, 04423, and 04425 (each partially) |
| Vehicle registration | WHV |
| Website | www.wilhelmshaven.de |
Wilhelmshaven (German pronunciation: [vɪlhɛlmsˈhaːfn̩] ⓘ, lit. Wilhelm's Harbour; Northern Low Saxon: Willemshaven) is a coastal town in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated on the western side of the Jade Bight, a bay of the North Sea, and has a population of 76,089.[3] Wilhelmshaven is the centre of the "Jade Bay" business region (which has around 330,000 inhabitants) and is Germany's main military port.
The adjacent
World Natural Heritage Site
) provides the basis for the major tourism industry in the region.
History
The
exclave of the Province of Hanover and a naval base for Prussia's developing fleet. All the hinterland
of the city remained a part of Oldenburg.
A shipbuilding yard developed at Wilhelmshaven, the Kaiserliche Werft Wilhelmshaven (
Admiral Graf Spee
was launched at Wilhelmshaven.
In 1937 Wilhelmshaven and the adjacent village Rüstringen merged[4] and the united city, named Wilhelmshaven, became a part of the Free State of Oldenburg.
World War II
In
Naval Shipyard Wilhelmshaven, remained operational despite serious damage.[5] A major attack on residential areas of Wilhelmshaven was carried out on 15 October 1944. Various churches, hospitals, schools and many residential buildings were destroyed or severely damaged.[6] During the war, Alter Banter Weg (No. 1582 Wilhelmshaven), functioned as a subcamp of the Neuengamme concentration camp.[7]
On 28 April 1945 the Polish First Armored Division captured Wilhelmshaven, and took the surrender of the entire garrison, including over 200 ships of the Kriegsmarine.[8] The Poles remained as part of the Allied occupation forces until 1947.
Since 1945
In 1947 the city council decided to seek a new emblem for the city. After the
Control Commission for Germany – British Element (CCG/BE) had rejected several designs, Wilhelmshaven selected the image of a Frisian warrior (Rüstringer Friese), designed after a nail man erected in the city during the First World War
to collect war donations.
Between 1947 and 1972 Wilhelmshaven was the home of
Olympia Werke, which became one of the most popular quality typewriter factories in the world. A workforce of 7,000 worker was employed there in 1953.[9]
Today
Wilhelmshaven is Germany's only deep-water port, and its largest naval base. Concerning the new plans for the Bundeswehr which took shape in 2011 it has become the largest military base in Germany as well.[10] The German defence forces (German Navy, navy arsenal, logistics centre) together with the public sector, are the main pillars of the local employment market.[citation needed]
The benefits of the deep shipping channel were already recognised at the end of the 1950s with the construction of the first
crude oil ever since.[citation needed
] Pipelines from here supply refineries in the Rhine-Ruhr region and Hamburg. Other major business operations followed, and constructed jetties for crude oil and oil products, coal, and chemical products.
Planning for a
regulatory impediments delayed construction for years.[12]
Following the
2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine,[12][13] as gas commitments from the Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 undersea Baltic pipelines became unreliable[14] and then unavailable, construction of the Wilhelmshaven LNG terminal was rapidly accelerated from May 2022 to displace some of the pipeline gas imported from Russia.[15] The terminal received its first load of LNG in December 2022.[16]
Another element of the "Wilhelmshaven energy hub" programme is the chemical industry (refinery, PVC, and chlorine gas production), as well as power generation (two coal-fired power stations, wind power).[citation needed] Two short pipelines connect the LNG reception to the industrial zone.[17]
One of the main industrial sectors in Wilhelmshaven is the port industry with its wharves, sea port service companies, service providers and repair businesses, transhipment and handling businesses, agencies, etc.... The "JadeWeserPort" – Container Terminal Wilhelmshaven (CTW), operational since 2012 and the development of the neighbouring Freight Village provide prospects for employment in areas such as logistics and distribution. In 2016 Eurogate increased transhipment volume up to 480,000 Container (TEU). And since Volkswagen is interested in using the deep-water facilities the number of employed workers is assumed to rise from 400 to 600.[18]
Sights
- The Jadestadion, the stadium of Regionalliga Nord club SV Wilhelmshaven
- Wasserturm Wilhelmshaven – water tower built in 1911 and a significant landmark of Wilhelmshaven city.
- Aquarium Wilhelmshaven, located on the Helgolandkai – a view of the oceans and underwater habitats around the world.
- The Botanischer Garten der Stadt Wilhelmshaven, a municipal botanical garden.
- The Deutsches Marinemuseum (Navy Museum), whose main exhibits are the former German Navy Mölders (D186), a submarine, and some smaller warships as well as an exhibition of German naval history from the 19th century onwards.
- UNESCO World Heritage Site Wadden Sea Visitor center. The large permanent interactive exhibition provides insight into the Wadden Sea environment. One of the special displays is the 14-metre-long skeleton of a sperm whale which beached on the island of Baltrum in 1994 and weighed 39 tonnes when alive. The whale's organs were preserved using plastination by Gunther von Hagens.
- The Küstenmuseum (Coastal Museum). The exhibition displays a broad spectrum of the past, present and future of the coast.
- The Bontekai, city harbor jetty, featuring the former light vessel "Weser" and the steam engine powered buoy layer "Kapitän Meyer", an active museum ship. During the "Jade Weekend" (late June) it is berth of tall sailing ships, too.
- The double swing bridge Kaiser-Wilhelm-Brücke("Emperor Wilhelm Bridge") crosses an inlet of the Jade Bight. It was built from 1905 to 1907 and is considered to be one of Wilhelmshaven's landmarks.
- The Town Hall (Rathaus), a large brick building, constructed from 1927 to 1929 by the architect Fritz Högeras the town hall of the city of Rüstringen. It was severely damaged by bombs in 1944 and rebuilt from 1948 to 1953.
- Ruins of Sibetsburg Castle. It was built in 1383, conquered and dismantled in 1435.[19]
- The oldest church of the city is St. Jakobi Church at Neuende which was built about 1383 under the direction of the chieftain of Jever Edo Wiemken.[20] The Christus-und-Garnisionskirche, built in 1869 by the Prussian architect Friedrich Adler was heavily damaged by bombs in 1942 and rebuilt after the war.[21]
- Kopperhörner Mühle is a windmill dating from 1839 which was renovated in 1982 and 2000.[22]
- 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.
Every year in the first days of July, the big "Weekend on the Jade" event attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors to the big port, the southern beach and the navy arsenal. Another big event takes place at the end of the sailing season at the beginning of October when two dozen large
sailing ships dock in Wilhelmshaven as part of the "JadeWeserPort
Cup".
Notable people
- August Friedrich Wilhelm Crome (1753–1833), economist and statistician; produced a thematic map of Europe
- Eilhard Mitscherlich (1794–1863) a chemist, discovered crystallographic isomorphism in 1819.[23]
- Erhard Milch (1892–1972), field marshal who oversaw the development of the Luftwaffe
- Ernst Paul Heinz Prüfer (1896–1934), Jewish mathematician
- Hans Hellmann (1903–1938), theoretical physicist; associated with the Hellmann–Feynman theorem
- Adalbert von Blanc (1907–1976) naval officer in WWII and admiral in the West German Navy.
- V-2 missile programme at Peenemünde
- Otto von Bülow (1911–2006), U-boat commander in World War II, and captain in the Bundesmarine
- Henry Picker (1912–1988), lawyer, stenographer and author, co-transcribed Hitler's Table Talk
- Wilfried Struve (1914–1992), scientist working in astronomy and acoustics, son of Georg Hermann Struve
- voice actorof characters in children's audio plays
- Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra
- Hans-Michael Bock (born 1947), film historian, filmmaker, translator and writer.
- Rainer Fetting (born 1949), painter and sculptor
- Thomas Hengelbrock (born 1958), violinist, stage director and principal conductor of the NDR Symphony Orchestra
- Nico Beyer (born 1964), film director and producer
- Olaf Lies (born 1964), local politician (SPD)
- Niels Högel (born 1976), former nurse, serial killer, convicted of the murder of 85 people
Sport
- Kurt Doerry (1874–1947) track and field athlete, competed at the 1896 & 1900 Summer Olympics.
- Helmut Reichmann (1941–1992), a glider pilot, thrice World Gliding Champion
- Steffen Puttkammer (born 1988), footballer who has played over 390 games
- Sebastian Polter (born 1991), footballer who has played over 350 games
- Kai Pröger (born 1992), footballer who has played over 320 games
Twin towns – sister cities
Wilhelmshaven is twinned with:[24]
Vichy, France (1965)
Norfolk, Virginia, United States (1976)
Dunfermline, Scotland, United Kingdom (1979)
Bromberg, Austria (1980)
Bydgoszcz, Poland (2006)
See also
Citations
- Landesamt für Statistik Niedersachsen. April 2021. Archivedfrom the original on 17 November 2021. Retrieved 17 November 2021.
- Landesamt für Statistik Niedersachsen.
- ^ "Landesamt für Statistik Niedersachsen". Archived from the original on 20 April 2019. Retrieved 17 April 2021.
- ^ "Wilhelmshaven". Luftschutzbunker Wilhelmshaven. Archived from the original on 20 July 2018. Retrieved 18 December 2017.
- ^ "Angriffe und Statistik". Homepage Luftschutzbunker Wilhelmshaven. Archived from the original on 25 April 2018. Retrieved 17 December 2017.
- ^ "Uwe Karwath | Wilhelmshaven – Sehenswürdigkeiten von a bis Z – Teil 3". Archived from the original on 28 March 2022. Retrieved 11 June 2022.
- ^ "KZ-Gedenkstätte Neuengamme, WILHELMSHAVEN (ALTER BANTER WEG)". Retrieved 27 December 2023.
- ISBN 9781874622420.
- ^ "Olympiawerke jetzt AG = Die Zeit". 22 July 1954. Archived from the original on 12 November 2018. Retrieved 18 December 2017.
- ^ "Wilhelmshaven wächst zum größten Bundeswehrstandort". Hamburger Abendblatt. 4 November 2011. Archived from the original on 29 September 2020. Retrieved 18 December 2017.
- ^ "Zeitung: LNG-Terminal in Wilhelmshaven wieder in Planung". Gas-Magazin (in German). Berlin. 20 October 2015. Archived from the original on 3 August 2017. Retrieved 9 August 2022.
- ^ a b "Germany to upgrade two ports 'quickly' to receive shipped gas". Politico. 27 February 2022. Retrieved 8 August 2022.
- ^ "Germany says fifth floating LNG terminal to be built by end of 2022". Reuters. 19 July 2022. Retrieved 24 September 2022.
- ^ Oltermann, Philip (8 August 2022). "'We got too comfortable': the race to build an LNG terminal in north Germany". The Guardian. Retrieved 8 August 2022.
- ^ Villegas, Paulina; Morris, Loveday (5 May 2022). "Germany begins construction of liquefied natural gas terminal". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 5 May 2022. Retrieved 5 May 2022.
- ^ Germany Welcomes First LNG Carrier At New Wilhelmshaven Terminal, OilPrice.com, 3 January 2023.
- ^ "Germany's OGE Ensures Stable Gas Supply with Successful Completion of WAL II Pipeline | Pipeline Technology Journal". www.pipeline-journal.net. 6 October 2023.
- ^ Wolschner, Klaus (5 October 2017), "VW entdeckt Wilhelmshaven", Tageszeitung TAZ: 41
- ^ "Uwe Karwath | Wilhelmshaven – Sehenswürdigkeiten von a bis Z – Teil 4". Archived from the original on 10 June 2022. Retrieved 11 June 2022.
- ^ de:St.-Jakobi-Kirche (Neuende)
- ^ "Uwe Karwath | Wilhelmshaven – Sehenswürdigkeiten von a bis Z – Teil 1". Archived from the original on 10 June 2022. Retrieved 11 June 2022.
- ^ "Uwe Karwath | Wilhelmshaven – Sehenswürdigkeiten von a bis Z – Teil 2". Archived from the original on 22 November 2021. Retrieved 11 June 2022.
- ^ . Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 18 (11th ed.). 1911. pp. 627–628.
- ^ "Wilhelmshavens Städtepartnerschaften und Städtefreundschaften". wilhelmshaven.de (in German). Wilhelmshaven. Archived from the original on 28 June 2018. Retrieved 17 February 2021.
General sources
- Official German list of concentration camps Verzeichnis der Konzentrationslager und ihrer Außenkommandos (in German)
- Camp memorial Neuengamme (in German)
External links
- . Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 28 (11th ed.). 1911. pp. 641–642.
Media related to Wilhelmshaven (category) at Wikimedia Commons
Wilhelmshaven travel guide from Wikivoyage
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