From industrial decline to tourism hub in Bremerhaven’s fishing harbour?

Founded in 1896 as a European trawling stronghold exporting fish to Austria and Switzerland, Bremerhaven's fishing harbour closed in the 1980s due to international quotas. The site became an industrial wasteland until the early 1990s, when the State of Bremen and local company FBG reimagined it as a fish-themed destination. The regeneration that began at the time is still ongoing today.

Over the years, a wide range of attractions have reshaped the district. These include the fish station, built in 1996 and later expanded into an exhibition centre; the fish cooking studio, launched in 2014 offering interactive workshops; the fishing village, with artisan shops, harbour terraces and the restored trawler Gera, which together create inviting public spaces. The latest highlight, Fischbahnhof360°, opened in 2023, and offers an immersive film journey through the history of fishing and the underwater world. This development was made possible through support of several EU funding programmes over the decades, including the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (EMFF).