How can I get the most out of a visit to Ballinstadt Emigration Museum in Hamburg, Germany?

afwife

I am planning a visit to Germany this summer and plan on seeing this museum. It seems to be the German equivalent to our Ellis Island. While I have found some passenger lists in and out of Hamburg, online, I am wondering if there are more extensive records available on site & if there are people there to help you? If others have been there I would appreciate any tips on maximizing my time there. It looks huge and I wonder about what NOT to miss & what I might prioritize lower on the list of things to see/do there. Any suggestions would be most appreciated. Thank you.

Sincerely,

Leah

Ulrich Neitzel

Hello Leah,

I've been to the Ballinstadt Museum a few times. It is a good place to get a feel for the life and conditions of the emigrants awaiting passage from Hamburg to America, especially during the last decades of the 19th century. However, it does not house any records. The original documents are mostly in the state archives, e.g., the passenger lists are in the Hamburg State Archive ( https://www.hamburg.de/bkm/hamburg-state-archive/ ). Most of them are also available on Ancestry.com.

Note that there is also another emigration museum in Bremen/Bremerhaven ( https://www.dah-bremerhaven.de/en ). I haven't been there yet, but it focuses on the emigration through Bremerhaven to the New World.

As always, it is a good idea to think about your questions and expectations beforehand as precisely as possible. Maybe you can send me a PM, I'll be glad to assist you.

afwife

Thank you, Ulrich.

I rather thought that might be the case. I had hoped they might have passport, or visa documents there. I am looking for more information on my grandfather who married my Norwegian grandmother (I wish I knew how/where they met??!, but that isn't likely at this point in time), and later came to the USA. But, Hamburg is the place he traveled in & out of; my grandmother must have come to meet his parents just prior to their wedding as I found her on a passenger list. That was a surprising find! I guess I will just be happy with getting a better feel for the emigrants' conditions there.

Sincerely,

Leah