Cuxhaven (German:[kʊksˈhaːfn̩]ⓘ;Low German:Cuxhoben) is a port town and seat of theCuxhaven district, inLower Saxony, Germany. The town includes the northernmost point of Lower Saxony. The city serves as a gateway to the nearbyHeligoland islands, a tax free zone off the coast of Germany. Cuxhaven is situated on the shore of theNorth Sea at the mouth of theElbe River.[3] Cuxhaven has a footprint of 14 kilometres (9 miles) (east–west) by 7 km (4 mi) (north–south). Its town quartersDuhnen,Döse andSahlenburg are especially popular vacation spots on theNorth Sea and home to about 52,000 residents.
Cuxhaven is home to an important fisherman's wharf and ship registration point forHamburg as well as theKiel Canal until 2008. Tourism is also of great importance. The city and its precursor Ritzebüttel belonged to Hamburg from the 13th century until 1937. What remains of Ritzebüttel isRitzebüttel Castle ('Schloss Ritzebüttel'). The island ofNeuwerk, a Hamburg dependency, is located just northwest of Cuxhaven in the North Sea. The city's symbol, known as theKugelbake, is a beacon once used as alighthouse; the wooden landmark on the mouth of the Elbe marks the boundary between the river and the North Sea and also adorns the city's coat of arms.
Ritzebüttel, today a part of Cuxhaven, belonged to theLand of Hadeln, first an exclave of theyounger Duchy of Saxony and after its de facto dynastic partition in 1296 of theDuchy of Saxe-Lauenburg, establishedde jure in 1260. In 1394 the city ofHamburg conquered the fortress of Ritzebüttel and made it its stronghold to protect the estuary of the riverElbe, which connects that city with the open sea.
The population in 1848 was about 800 inhabitants.[4]
TheHamburg America Line built a largeocean liner terminal at Cuxhaven in 1900. Connected directly to Hamburg by a dedicated railway line and station, it served as the major departure point forGerman andEuropean emigrants until 1969 when ocean liner travel ceased. The ornate assembly hall and associated buildings survived wartime damage and peacetime urban renewal to be restored in 1998 for use as a museum andcruise ship terminal.[5]
On 15 March 1907 Cuxhaven gained city status within the state of Hamburg. In 1937 Cuxhaven became anurban district of theStade Region within the PrussianProvince of Hanover by theGreater Hamburg Act. In 1972 some municipalities of the neighboured rural district ofLand of Hadeln were incorporated into the urban district of Cuxhaven. In 1977 Cuxhaven lost the status as urban district and was integrated into the new ruralDistrict of Cuxhaven, being its capital.
During theSecond World War, the town hosted a base of aWehrmacht radio network, codenamed BROWN, which transmitted data regarding experimental weapon developments, including rocketry. From this location the lastENIGMA-code–encrypted message of the war was transmitted on 7 May 1945. It reported the arrival ofBritish troops and ends: "Closing down for ever – all the best – goodbye."[7]
The fishing harbour by the FischmarktBürgermeister O'Swald II was the world's largest crewed lightship, the last lightship at positionElbe 1. It is now a B&B in Cuxhaven. 2017.A shrimp cutter returns.Cuxhaven station building, demolished and replaced in 2013
The origins of tourism go back to the year 1816 when a seaside resort was founded in Cuxhaven. Since 1964 Cuxhaven has been a state-recognized climate seaside resort (Seeheilbad) and centre of the so-called holiday region ofCuxland.
In the village ofLüdingworth, in the southern part of the town, stands theJacobikirche, Saint Jack's Church. Due to itsorgan byArp Schnitger and its lavishbaroque interior, the building is one of the most notable of its kind in allLower Saxony.
The island ofNeuwerk is situated 8 kilometres (5 mi) off the coast from Cuxhaven. Atlow tide the water recedes so far from the coast that the island can be reached either bymudflat hiking or byhorse carriage.
A modern landmark of Cuxhaven is theFriedrich-Clemens-Gerke Tower, a telecommunication tower built of concrete, which is not accessible to the public. It is not really a landmark, for many cities in Germany have a similar tower.
Thehigh-test peroxide (HTP) submarineU1407 was raised from where she had been scuttled in Cuxhaven afterWWII and rebuilt by the British, being commissioned as HMSMeteorite. It was the catalyst for a series of German-madeair-independent propulsion submarines such as theType 212 andType 214.
The Cuxport deep-water port has begun operations in 1997. It is crucial for the continued economic development of the city of Cuxhaven and its surrounding area. Until 1993, the site of the new port belonged to theFree and Hanseatic City of Hamburg. After long negotiations with Hamburg this land became the property of the state ofLower Saxony, which then invested approximately €140 million in the construction of the new port facilities. There are six berths at two terminals (Europakai and Lübbertkai). The port is located at theElbe estuary, near theKiel Canal to theBaltic Sea.
The Cuxhaven multi-purpose terminal is (as of July 2025) operated by Cuxport GmbH, a subsidiary ofRhenus AG & Co. KG (74.9%) and the Hamburg-basedHHLA (Hamburger Hafen und Logistik AG, 25.1%).[8]
The main businesses areRoRo transport, new vehicle storage and shipping (295,644 units in 2021), container handling, and the storage and handling of plant components foroffshore wind farms. Components such as tower sections, rotor blades, and nacelles for onshore wind turbines are also handled.[9]
In 2021, about 2.448 million tonnes of goods were handled in maritime transport. The offshore infrastructure sector is significantly expanded in 2025-2029.[10]
Joachim Ringelnatz (1883–1934), poet, cabaret artiste and painter. Since 2002 the city hosts the Joachim Ringelnatz-Museum, managed by the Joachim Ringelnatz-Foundation.
Cuxhaven has anoceanic climate (Köppen:Cfb;Trewartha:Dobk), located on the North Sea coast, the weather is noticeably warmer in winter and cooler in summer.
The Cuxhaven weather station has recorded the following extreme values:[13]
Its highest temperature was 36.3 °C (97.3 °F) on 9 August 1992.
Its lowest temperature was −18.2 °C (−0.8 °F) on 24 February 1947.
Its greatest annual precipitation was 1,144.5 mm (45.06 in) in 1998.
Its least annual precipitation was 482.2 mm (18.98 in) in 1959.
The longest annual sunshine was 2179.3 hours in 1947.
The shortest annual sunshine was 1421.7 hours in 1988.
Climate data for Cuxhaven (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1946–present)
