Auswanderer Denkmal
Encyclopedia
The Auswanderer-Denkmal (German
for Emigrant Memorial) is a statue in the port of Bremerhaven
, Germany
that depicts an emigrant family. Cast in bronze, it shows an emigrant family with the father looking forward toward the New World
and the mother looking back as she leaves the old country. The statue stands by one of the city's main dikes, the Weserdeich, on the site of one of the original docks from which early emigrants departed.
The United German-American Committee began raising funds to erect Das Auswanderer-Denkmal in Bremerhaven in 1985. Bremerhaven is an appropriate site for the statue as it was the largest port for emigration from Germany. Between 1830 and 1974, some 7.2 million Europeans traveled to Bremerhaven to board ships bound for the New World.
On August 8, 2005 20 years after the memorial was completed, a new museum was erected to re-create the history and routes of emigrants. The 3,500 square meter German Emigration Center
in Bremerhaven offers visitors one of the largest theme experiences in Germany. The museum, designed to replicate an ocean liner, includes special exhibits, films and cultural events.
Appropriately, the cornerstone of the museum was laid on October 6, German-American Day, 2004. At the ceremony, the American Consul, Robert K. Scott, noted: "By commemorating the millions of men and women who sailed to the New World, the German Emigration Center is making an invaluable contribution to the historic portrayal of my county."
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
for Emigrant Memorial) is a statue in the port of Bremerhaven
Bremerhaven
Bremerhaven is a city at the seaport of the free city-state of Bremen, a state of the Federal Republic of Germany. It forms an enclave in the state of Lower Saxony and is located at the mouth of the River Weser on its eastern bank, opposite the town of Nordenham...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
that depicts an emigrant family. Cast in bronze, it shows an emigrant family with the father looking forward toward the New World
New World
The New World is one of the names used for the Western Hemisphere, specifically America and sometimes Oceania . The term originated in the late 15th century, when America had been recently discovered by European explorers, expanding the geographical horizon of the people of the European middle...
and the mother looking back as she leaves the old country. The statue stands by one of the city's main dikes, the Weserdeich, on the site of one of the original docks from which early emigrants departed.
The United German-American Committee began raising funds to erect Das Auswanderer-Denkmal in Bremerhaven in 1985. Bremerhaven is an appropriate site for the statue as it was the largest port for emigration from Germany. Between 1830 and 1974, some 7.2 million Europeans traveled to Bremerhaven to board ships bound for the New World.
On August 8, 2005 20 years after the memorial was completed, a new museum was erected to re-create the history and routes of emigrants. The 3,500 square meter German Emigration Center
German Emigration Center
The German Emigration Center is a museum located in Bremerhaven, Germany dedicated to the history of German emigration, especially to the United States. It is Europe's largest theme museum about emigration. Visitors can experience the emigration process through interactive exhibits...
in Bremerhaven offers visitors one of the largest theme experiences in Germany. The museum, designed to replicate an ocean liner, includes special exhibits, films and cultural events.
Appropriately, the cornerstone of the museum was laid on October 6, German-American Day, 2004. At the ceremony, the American Consul, Robert K. Scott, noted: "By commemorating the millions of men and women who sailed to the New World, the German Emigration Center is making an invaluable contribution to the historic portrayal of my county."
See also
- German Americans
- List of famous German Americans
- German-American DayGerman-American DayGerman-American Day is a holiday in the United States, observed annually on October 6. The holiday, which celebrates German American heritage, commemorates the date in 1683 when 13 German families from Krefeld near the Rhine landed in Philadelphia. These families subsequently founded Germantown,...
- German-Americans in the Civil WarGerman-Americans in the Civil WarGerman-Americans in the American Civil War were the largest ethnic contingent to fight for the Union. More than 200,000 native Germans served in the Union Army, with New York and Ohio each providing ten divisions dominated by German-born men....
- German-American Heritage Foundation of the USAGerman-American Heritage Foundation of the USAThe German-American Heritage Foundation of the USA is a national non-profit organization that promotes German language, culture, and heritage in the United States and works toward preserving the history of Americans of German ancestry in the building the United States...
- Distinguished German-American of the YearDistinguished German-American of the YearSince 1987, the Distinguished German-American of the Year Award has provided national recognition for outstanding leadership and achievement of an American of German-speaking ancestry in business, the arts, education, science, politics, and society....