Experiencing migration: The interactive emigrant museum BallinStadt in Hamburg's Veddel district shows the history of emigration from four eras. Since its opening in 2007, BallinStadt has rightly been one of the most popular museums in the city of Hamburg. In the internationally renowned Emigrant Museum, guests go on an exciting journey and experience the history of immigration and emigration over four epochs in an interactive exhibition. In a total of three houses on 2,500 square meters, they accompany people with all their desires and dreams, which they took on their way to a new home, mostly the USA. In addition, the guests get to know Albert Ballin, the founder of the former emigrant halls in Hamburg - head of the shipping company HAPAG and one of the most important persons in Hamburg's history. As the housing situation in the city had become untenable, he had the Ballinstadt built in 1901 on the Elbe island of Veddel, which became a true city in the city with its church, dining rooms, dormitories and a hospital. For about 5 million European emigrants, Hamburg was the "gateway to the world" between 1850 and 1934. The ballinstadt emigrant museum is dedicated to these emigrants. In addition, it is possible to follow in the footsteps of the ancestors in the family research centre of the BallinStadt. The emigrant museum BallinStadt Hamburg deals with the emigration via Hamburg (1850 - 1934) as well as the development of migration over four epochs. Always accompanied by human longings, fates and stories. The reasons for migration are still timeless. Escape from war, hunger and persecution or even just a desire for adventure, curiosity and the dream of a new (better) life are then as now the driving force for emigration and thus also immigration.
