How have people, past and present, lived and worked on and by the water?
Our permanent exhibition on navigation brings 1,000 years of ocean and inland shipping history vividly to life.
Permanent exhibition on navigation – Anchors aweigh!
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Rafts and dugout canoes are probably the oldest means of transport built by humans. For a long time, ships conveyed people, goods and news far more swiftly, comfortably and reliably than was possible by land. This remained unchanged until the invention of the railway. With a treasure trove of delicate models, large exhibits steeped in history, historical images and film footage, as well as contemporary eyewitness accounts, the exhibition illustrates just how much shipping set the course ‒ and continues to set the course ‒ of the lives of so many people on or by water: families attempting to escape the misery of their homeland on board an emigrant ship, seamen sailing the world’s oceans with the German Democratic Republic merchant fleet, or captains of river cruise vessels calling at cities dotted along the Elbe, Oder and Rhine in the summer.
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Do you have what it takes
to be a shipbuilder?StartDesign your own ship and see how it performs against boats by other visitors in our digital regatta game. (Available in German language only)
Our highlights
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Kunstverlag Alfred Hartmann Dresden-A. 16 Chain boat navigation
Today, Hamburg and Dresden are partner cities, but these two metropolises were already linked to one another at the end of the 19th century. A chain measuring some 700 km long was laid along the riverbed of the Elbe, which chain boats used to tow their barges up- and downriver. Chain boat navigation revolutionised inland shipping in Germany.
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The Regatta Game (German language only)
moreStart the fun before you even get to the museum by designing your own ship on your smartphone or computer. Which material will make it go fastest? What about the shape of the hull? And how will you power it? In the Navigation exhibition, you can race your ships against other visitors’ to find out who has earned the title of master shipbuilder.
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3D Tour
Explore the “Chaperon” river steamer, a passenger and freight ship that sailed the Green River (USA) in the early 20th century. Our interactive 3D tour takes you through the cabins, salons, control room and engine deck, with historic photos and documents to help you uncover the fascinating history of this sternwheeler, see its on-board equipment and learn exactly what made it move.
Find the exhibition here:
More exhibitions
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Road transport
moreIn the last 200 years, ground-breaking inventions in road transport have enabled increasing numbers of people to travel the world. This exhibition presents the pioneers of this field, trailblazing bicycles, motorbikes and automobiles, and looks at how changes in road transport have had an impact on our everyday lives.
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Railway transport
moreThe invention of the railway made life as we know it possible. This exhibition illustrates the important stages in Saxon and German railway history, from its early days right up to the modern age, showcasing a host of valuable original components and models.
Foto: Anja Schneider (© Anja Schneider) -
Aviation
moreFlying: once a perilous feat of daring, now an everyday occurrence. Our exhibition on the history of aviation pays tribute to those courageous pioneers and their high-flying adventures, with a special focus on aircraft construction in the German Democratic Republic.
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Model railway
more225 locomotives and carriages, 785 metres of track, five stations: Our elaborate model train set lets visitors lose themselves in a lovingly crafted miniature world.
