Fehmarn has a lot to offer

If you want to learn something new and be amazed during your holiday, Fehmarn is the right place for you. The range of sights is extensive and varied.

Besides beach and nature, the sunny island has much more to offer. Fehmarn has a variety of different museums inviting you to research, discover and marvel.

The Galileo Wissenswelt is a museum on the island of Fehmarn divided into the three themed areas of natural history, technology and culture. From the formation of the earth, through the age of the dinosaurs, to modern humans and their technical and cultural development – you can discover it all here. It is a classic collection museum with a children's and youth museum where you can try out and discover many things yourself. The principle: understanding through hands-on experience.

In the natural history section, the museum visit begins chronologically in the Tunnel of Life, where you can see and even touch real fossils, followed by the giants of prehistory. A special attraction is an original Hypacrosaurus skeleton – a duck-billed dinosaur. In the Ice Age section you can admire a cave bear skeleton, real mammoth fossils and stone tools. There is also a walk-in volcano showcasing minerals, and in the earthquake simulator you can experience first-hand what earthquakes feel like.

The technology section focuses on interactive experiments to try out yourself, making technical and physical phenomena tangible. In the culture section, the Übersee museum displays handicrafts and everyday objects from various peoples and continents, with the aim of fostering understanding between cultures.

The natural history and overseas museums are open daily from April to November from 10 am to 6 pm; in the winter half-year only at weekends from 11 am to 4 pm. Adults pay €11 per museum, children up to 18 pay €10. Combination tickets for all three museums are available for €18 per person.

The “Adventure Sea Rescue” exhibition features a cinema, a children's corner and many exhibits from 150 years of sea rescue. By opening numerous cabinet doors, visitors get an overview of rescue technology and sea rescue on Fehmarn. The children's corner provides playful entertainment and the cinema shows films on maritime safety and historical development.

The museum's main attraction is the ship Arwed Emminghaus. The rescue cruiser first put to sea in 1965. It is named after a German journalist and economist who championed the founding of an organised sea rescue service. From 1965 to 1985 the Arwed Emminghaus was stationed off Cuxhaven, then Grömitz became her new home. After almost 30 years of service, the rescue vessel was sold and stationed in Iceland, where she was in service until the end of 2006. At an auction in 2013, the three founders of the museum acquired the Arwed Emminghaus and brought her to Burgstaaken.

The exhibition is open daily from 11 am from Easter until the end of the autumn holidays and during the Christmas holidays. Admission is €6 for adults and €4 for children aged 4-14. Family tickets are also available.

The submarine museum in Burgstaaken is a visitor magnet. This sight attracts not only technology enthusiasts – exploring a submarine from the inside is exciting for everyone. As a visitor you can experience life in the most confined spaces first-hand and imagine how the sailors must have felt spending several months at sea. In addition, the adjacent building houses an exhibition with information about the post-war German submarine fleet.

The submarine U11 was built over two years at the Howaldtswerke shipyard in Kiel and belonged to the 1st submarine squadron from 1968 to 1998. During the Cold War it served only as a protection boat off the German coast. In 1988 it was converted into a double-hull boat. In total, U11 was in service for 35 years, covering around 177,900 nautical miles on more than 2,100 days at sea.

The submarine museum has existed on Fehmarn since 2005. Two cranes were needed to bring the 520-tonne navy submarine into place. The boat is 43.5 m long, only 4.60 m wide and has a total height of 9.8 m. Among other things, you can look through the real periscope or try lying in the narrow crew bunks.

The submarine museum is open daily from April to October between 10 am and 6 pm; in winter it closes at 4 pm. Adults pay €6.80, children up to 14 pay €4.50, a family ticket costs €19.

The Dunkelexperiment is a museum of a special kind. In this exhibition, visitors experience what it is like to be blind. Each visitor receives an eye mask, a white cane and an introduction, then feels their way through the experiment. There is a forest walk, a flat viewing, a supermarket shop and a city tour to discover, accompanied by typical sounds and scents; loudspeakers provide further hints about where you currently are.

The operators of the Dunkelexperiment want to raise awareness of the concerns of blind people and other people with disabilities. That is why, in addition to the dark rooms, there is also a visible, interactive area with a variety of hands-on stations. As sufficient residual light is available in the dark area, the eye mask can be removed at any time in case of fear or uncertainty – so families with children can also visit.

In July and August the museum is open daily from 10 am to 6 pm, in low season from 11 am to 4 pm. It is completely closed in winter from November to March. Admission is free, but there is a rental fee for the canes.

The Fehmarn Museum in Burg is housed partly in Fehmarn's oldest building, the former preacher's widow's house from 1581. In a total of 23 rooms, island life of every era is depicted, focusing on the geology of Fehmarn, regional history, crafts, guilds, seafaring and hunting.

The museum is open from June to October, Tuesdays to Saturdays from 11 am to 4 pm. Admission is €4 for adults, children up to 14 are free. You will find the museum right next to St. Nikolai Church in Burg.

The mill museum in Lemkenhafen is located in the old sail windmill Jachen Flünk – the only sail windmill still in existence in Europe. The mill was built in 1787 and only ceased operation in 1954. In 1958 the state of Schleswig-Holstein took ownership and placed it under monument protection. Today it is a mill and agriculture museum: the adjacent granary displays agricultural equipment and models of Fehmarn farms.

The mill museum is open from June to October, daily except Wednesdays from 10 am to 5 pm. Admission is €5 for adults, children up to 14 are free.