The city of Bremen was founded in the 9th century. Located on the Weser River it developed into one of the major ports of Germany. Because silt began to reduce the navigability of the river as far as the port of Bremen the city purchased land near the mouth of the river and founded the city of Bremerhaven in 1827. The docks were opened in 1830 and transatlantic service was initiated from Bremerhaven in 1847.

Bremen/Bremerhaven became the major port of embarkation for German emigration. Between 1850 and 1880 thirty-eight percent of the emigrant ships arriving at Atlantic and Gulf Coast ports of North America were from Bremen/Bremerhaven. Hamburg, Liverpool and Le Havre were other significant ports of departure. It has been calculated that over the past two centuries more than 7 million people emigrated through Bremen and Bremerhaven. While there was an ordinance from 1832 requiring shipping companies to make lists of all their passengers the lists to 1920 were unfortunately destroyed. Some Bremen/Bremerhaven ships submitted copies of their lists to U.S. officials at the port of debarkation. Gary Zimmerman and Marion Wolfert have indexed Bremen/Bremerhaven passenger for arrivals in the port of New York (Lists of Passengers Bound from Bremen to New York, 1847-67).

Bremerhaven is still a major shipping port and one of the larges fishing ports in Europe.

Lehe (pronounced Leah), a borough since medieval times, became a part of the city of Bremerhaven in the mid 1900s.

The current municipality of Bremerhaven was formed through the union of three separate towns: Bremerhaven, Geestemünde (founded by Hanover in 1845 as a competitor to Bremerhaven) and Lehe.

Norddeutscher Lloyd Bremen (North German Lloyd) was formed in 1856 and operated between Bremerhaven and New York with its port in Hoboken.

Henry Blanck born in Lehe, Germany in 1847 immigrated to Hoboken, New Jersey, USA where he died in 1911. According to the telephone book July/August 2005 there were 10 Blanck in Bremerhaven/Lehe combined. There were other listings with different spellings.

June 5, 1901

Bremerhaven

Bremerhaven

Bremerhaven, Hafenpartie mit Dampfer des Nordd Loyd [harbor with Northdeutsche Loyd steamer]

Wartehalle des Norddeutchen Lloyd in Bremerhavren, 1870

Leuchtthurm und Schieberüvke Bremerhaven, Kaiserhaven

The Saale was one of the ships that was destroyed in the Hoboken pier fire of 1900. See Hoboken Fire of 1900

Marketplatz mit Bugermeister Smidt-Denkmal, Bremerhaven

Marketplatz, Bremerhaven

Marketplatz, Bremerhaven

Photographie u. Verlag K Eden, Bremerhaven

Bremerhaven - An der Geetsebücke

Photographie u. Verlag K Eden, Bremerhaven

Bremerhaven - Hafenstrasse Ecke Rickmersstrasse

Photographie u. Verlag K Eden, Bremerhaven

Fischereihafen-Einfahrt Bremerhaven

Photographie u. Verlag K Eden, Bremerhaven

Bremerhaven - Sturmflutbrandug

Bremerhaven, Mole u Leuchtturn

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Bremen Marktplatz

Bremen Rathskeller

2005

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An interesting aspect of all of the older houses in Lehe is that they are not square to the street. They are all built in the form of a parallelogram.

Hafen Strasse apparently became the main street of Lehe at a later time. The newer church (Paluskirche) and many public buildings are currently on Hafen Strasse.

Lange Strasse, Lehe, August 2005

Lange Strasse, Lehe, August 2005

This building is across the street from the old church.

Lange Strasse, Lehe, August 2005

St Dionysii, Lange Strasse, Lehe, August 2005

Interior St Dionysii, Lehe, August 2005

The interior was under renovation when we visited.

Back of St Dionysii, Lehe, August 2005

There is a date of 1802 in large numbers on the back of the church.

St Dionysii, Lehe, August 2005

Lange Strasse, Lehe, August 2005

Lange Strasse, Lehe, August 2005

Post Strasse, Lehe, August 2005

The yellow building is dated 1860.

Post Strasse, Lehe, August 2005

Stresemann Strasse, Lehe, August 2005

Hafen Strasse, Lehe, August 2005

Hafen Strasse, Lehe, August 2005

Pauluskirche, Hafen Strasse, Lehe, August 2005

Lehe Langestrasse

Lehe Hafenstrasse