Elbschifffahrtsmuseum

"Man-Model-Machine" - this is the motto of the interactive exhibition at the Elbe Shipping Museum. It focuses on those who designed, built and operated the machines and types of ships. Find out how the difficult working and living conditions in shipbuilding and shipping have developed over the last 1000 years.
Let people snap at you in life-size 3D photos. In the exhibition you will get to know important personalities such as Kaiser Wilhelm II and the shipowner Basedow, but also come into contact with the former inhabitants of Lauenburg, such as raftsmen, deckhands and smutjes. They can also get hands-on with models and experimental stations.
Important themes are designed as walk-in worlds of experience. In the exhibition, for example, you can walk on the floor of the Elbe at low tide or slide over ice floes that get stuck on the Elbe in winter. There are entertaining films on each of the main themes that provide you with the "red thread" of the exhibition. With the help of the interactive archive stations, you can also go in search of clues yourself. The Elbschifffahrtsmuseum has a unique collection of information on ship types, engines, crews and models. The intensive research carried out to date has resulted in a high density of information. You have access to a large part of this material in the museum.
The museum's numerous model ships are displayed in new large showcases with sophisticated effect lighting that highlights the details and special features of each ship type on the model. At the same time, you can view photographic material of the ship in operation on the Elbe or in port on a screen. Technical data about the ship and the ship type can be called up interactively.

Treasure trove of ship propulsion systems

A special attraction is the "treasure trove of ship propulsion systems" in the museum's vaulted cellar. Here you can marvel at steam engines and diesel engines of various types. This collection is unique of its kind in Germany; nowhere else is the mechanization of shipping presented as consistently as here. Guided tours of the museum show you the ship's engines in motion.

Paddle steamer "Kaiser Wilhelm

However, the largest "exhibit" of the Elbschifffahrtsmuseum is not to be found in the museum. It is the historic paddle steamer "Kaiser Wilhelm". Built in Dresden in 1900, you can experience shipping as it was over 100 years ago on this paddle steamer, which has been preserved in almost its original condition. If you like, you can grab a coal shovel yourself and help the stoker with his hard work. The steamer is moored about 250 meters from the museum at its pier in front of Lauenburg's old town. The "Verein zu Förderung des Lauenburger Elbschiffahrtsmuseums e.V." and the volunteer crew offer excursions on the Elbe every other weekend from the end of April to the end of September.