Special exhibition "The Sea Unites" at the IMM Hamburg

Niarchos, Onassis, Livanos & Co: Memories of a German-Greek economic miracle

More than 20,000 Hamburg residents crowded onto the Howaldtswerke site in Hamburg harbour when a legendary chapter in German economic history was written. The launch of the giant tanker "Tina Onassis" in the summer of 1953 was a key moment in the new beginning. The shipyards in Hamburg, Bremen and Kiel were considered to be worthy again. After the end of the Second World War, it signalled the start of an upswing. Shipbuilding had a noticeable impact on the economic miracle.

Banner of the exhibition. Graphic: IMMH

The International Maritime Museum Hamburg is commemorating this fascinating era in the 1950s with a special exhibition (25 September to 30 November 2025). Motto: "The Sea Unites". In German: "The sea unites. The Greek shipping miracle and the German economic miracle."

Launching of Al Malik Saud Al Awal on 5 June 1954. photo: IMMH

Large orders from Greece in particular helped the largely destroyed shipyards in this country to get going surprisingly quickly. Former wartime enemies Greece and Germany became partners and friends. For two months, fascinating photos and matching ship models can be seen on deck 1 of the institution on Koreastrasse. Over a period of 50 years, more than 160 large ships were launched for Greek owners at German shipyards, including in the GDR from 1971.

The exhibition covers the period from the early 1950s to 2002. Entrepreneurs such as Stavros Livanos, Stavros Niarchos and Aristotle Onassis were godfathers of the boom. The character of the imaginatively presented event reflects the attitude of the museum's founder, Professor Peter Tamm: ultimately, the sea helps to bring countries and people together.

Then as now.

Go there! Experience history with all your senses!