German Customs Museum

Located in the historic Speicherstadt warehouse district, the German Customs Museum invites its guests a vivid and lively insight into the world of those who have been collecting and the German Customs Museum invites visitors to learn about the world of those who collect customs duties from ancient times to the present day and those who prefer to smuggle.

Historic customs building

The former Kornhausbrücke customs office presents the history of customs from its beginnings in ancient Roman times to the present day of German and European customs. After the predecessor museum founded in Berlin in 1927 was destroyed in the Second World War, the customs museum was re-established with the end of the free port in the Speicherstadt in 1992 at a location that had itself been used for customs work until 1985.

Exhibition on the history of customs

The German Customs Museum presents a modern, varied and interactive permanent exhibition. Around 1000 exhibits, supplemented by film and audio stations, vividly convey interesting facts about the work of customs officers.
If the museum building itself and its history are already a very special gem in Hamburg's Speicherstadt, the permanent exhibition presented in it offers a special opportunity to visit such a building and at the same time learn diverse and often unknown and exciting information about the history of customs over 2000 years and in particular about customs in Germany and the European Union. Get to know the work of the customs officers: You will be surprised at the variety of tasks that have to be mastered today and how varied and attractive working in customs can be.

Interesting for everyone, regardless of age

An exciting place of wonder and discovery not only for adults, but also for children: in addition to the building itself, the varied design and its special exhibits, the customs boat "Oldenburg" moored in the customs canal in front of the museum offers an additional opportunity to get to know the world of maritime customs as well as land customs.

The largest exhibit

Commissioned in 1976, the "Oldenburg" was on patrol duty, tasked with monitoring the water borders on the North Sea and the movement of goods in order to prevent smuggling, protect the environment and rescue shipwrecked persons, among other things. A museum boat since 2005, she gives visitors of all ages an impression of maritime customs. Detailed information about the museum, its exhibition and what it has to offer visitors can be found here.