Cuxhaven lies along the German coast where the River Elbe meets the North Sea. In the far past, it was part of Hamburg, as the river Elbe flows through and is an integral part of that city. Our stay will be overnight in Cuxhaven; but the routine to get there is the same: tram, train, and bus.
Our hotel in Cuxhaven, the Hus Kiek in de See, is not located in the city center, but near the sea promenade. The hotel was built in 1906 and was the favorite hang out of the German author and poet Joachim Ringelmatz…whoever he was. It faces what is called the “Doser See Deich”, providing views of the North Sea and Grimmershorn Bay. It was an unbidden upgrade for us.
As is our wont, after storing bags in our room and freshening up, we go for an excursion into the area. Passing through the grassy dikes full of birds, we reach the sea promenade-still muddy from recent storms. Established at about the same time as our hotel, this promenade has been subject to flooding at different epochs. Flood markers here and there bear witness to those.
Continuing our walk along the promenade, we spot a wooden tower in the far distance. This is the Kugelbake-Cuxhaven’s biggest attraction. The first of the wooden Kugelbakes appeared in 1703 on a sandbar where navigation was tricky. It served as both a landmark and a lighthouse about 100 feet tall and, built entirely of wood, it has to be rebuilt approximately every 30 years. So there have been countless iterations of the Kugelbake.
Despite the recent storms and continuing rain, more commonly, Cuxhaven has a temperate, oceanic climate. So much so, that the “Wattenmeer” (Wadden Sea) extends to this area. The Wattenmeer is characterized by vast mudflats exposed at low tide. There is some mud visible here; but it is not particularly impressive-as compared, say, to the island of Spiekeroog.
Cuxhaven thought so much of the Wattenmeer designation that they incorporated the area into a national park which includes the Frisian Islands (including Spiekeroog) and a large swath of other territories equaling about 1,335 square miles. I don’t know. It may be unique; but, in the end, it’s still mud.
During both of the World Wars, Cuxhaven was a busy place. In World War I, the Germans had a major naval air base here which the British successfully attacked; and in World War II, V2 rockets were tested and launched here. It’s no wonder then that we come across Fort Kugelbake developed by the Germans in the mid-19th century and then taken over by the British following the war. It’s a museum now, complete with a tank on the top of a hill and a sentry house.
At about the same time we see the fort, we see the Zenneck Memorial. We can hardly miss it, for it is right in the middle of the promenade. Jonathan Zenneck made the first German radio-telegraphic experiments here during 1899-1900, and is, in someway, credited as being the father of the German Maritime Radio Service. If I thought long and hard about it, I might be impressed.
It is warmer and drier in Cuxhaven this morning. Our plan is to check out of the hotel, go all the way to the train station to store our bags in a locker, then see more of the city. I have a thing for water towers, and the one near Cuxhaven train station is particularly interesting looking. Built out of brick in 1897, it now houses a cafe and vacation apartments. Who would’ve thunk it?
My lady friend is a beach aficionado. Me? Not so much. Different strokes. Anyway, a visit and a walk along the Cuxhaven beach puts us a lot closer to the hotel than to the train station. So why store our baggage at the train station? Well, because we also plan to walk near the train station; and, ultimately, we are leaving from there. I do enjoy the tea roses along the beach promenade, if nothing else.
We now proceed by bus to the town center (the touristy side of Cuxhaven), and, finally, we’ll learn how the city is tied to Hamburg at the Schloss Park.
There is a lovely park here, focused around a couple of lakes (presumably man-made). The ducks seem to enjoy it, anyway.
At the top of one lake sits a chalet called the Schweitzer Haus, or Swiss House. It was built in 1847, presumably to serve as a tea house for castle inhabitants and guests. It is quite picturesque and can be seen at various points around the lake.
Although the owners of the castle here could afford to build a chapel, they didn’t need to because St. Martin’s Church stands right at the edge of the park. I don’t know much about St. Martin’s except that it is Lutheran-Evangelical-which seems to be par for the course in Germany.
And now we come to the Hamburg Bailiffs-including the writer and poet Bathold Heinrich Brockes-whose profile appears on one of the park walls via an engraving.
Cuxhaven (or at least its location at the mouth of the Elbe River where it enters the North Sea) was critical to Hamburg. The Elbe was easily controllable from that point; and God help them if pirates or enemies should access the Elbe (and thus Hamburg). So they established a base in Cuxhaven called Ritzebuttel Castle and stationed bailiffs there.
Ritzebuttel Castle was constructed in the 14th century; and believe me, while it is respectable enough, it is no Versailles or Pena Palace. The Hamburg Bailiffs hated to go there; and it was considered a demotion of sorts. Of course, with the shuffling of properties in the 1930’s, the Castle no longer belonged to Hamburg, and all the political meaning of the place went up in smoke. Now, no one permanently lives in the Castle and it is open to the public.
Walking along the Schloss Park paths is still quite enjoyable, however.
We walk back to the train station from the Schloss Park, passing through the city center once again. Although there is not a heck of a lot going on in Cuxhaven (at least now), it still is a nice place to visit for a weekend.
Musical Finale: “Durch die Bucht von Grimmershorn”-Quaiser & Staufenbiel