Until the Second World War, the Museum of Oceanography built up an important collection of maritime exhibits. However, war damage and the subsequent confiscation destroyed Kaiser Wilhelm II's dream.
Yes, there really was such a thing - a museum of maritime history in the centre of Berlin, founded under the shipping enthusiast Kaiser Wilhelm II and a must-see for every patriotic-minded German at the time. Now part of the collection of the German Museum of Technology and also represented with individual exhibits in the Military History Training Centre (WGAZ) in Flensburg-Mürwik, it was world-class at the time. It was opened on 5 March 1906 in the rooms of the Chemical Institute at Georgenstraße 34-36 in Berlin-Mitte. As part of Berlin University, it was intended to awaken the public's interest in seafaring, which was entirely in keeping with the Emperor's wishes.
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The history of the Berlin Museum of Oceanography in Georgenstraße (1906-1944) was actually more than just a museum. As I recall, its full name was "Museum and Institute of Oceanography". In addition to its scientific tasks, the institute even had a department for "maritime affairs" - apparently an early approach to maritime policy - and this with the backing of the Kaiser. In 1914, two university institutes were added in Kiel, namely the "Royal Institute for Maritime Traffic and World Economy". At the same time, the "Royal Seminar for International Law" was established in Kiel, which was to specialise in maritime law, among other things. Under the names "Institute for World Economics" and "Walther Schücking Institute for International Law", both celebrated their 100th anniversary in 2014. It is therefore remarkable that even before the First World War, there was a scientific (and political) overview of maritime interests in Germany, starting in Berlin.
of the state.
All that remains is the wish:
Berlin, Berlin by the sea, it would be nice if it were like this today!
says Uwe Jenisch, Kiel