:Cuxhaven

File:Cuxhaven 07-2016 photo04 Water tower.jpg

Ritzebüttel, today a part of Cuxhaven, belonged to the Land of Hadeln, first an exclave of the younger Duchy of Saxony and after its de facto dynastic partition in 1296 of the Duchy of Saxe-Lauenburg, established de jure in 1260. In 1394 the city of Hamburg conquered the fortress of Ritzebüttel and made it its stronghold to protect the estuary of the river Elbe, which connects that city with the open sea.

The Hamburg America Line built a large ocean liner terminal at Cuxhaven in 1900. Connected directly to Hamburg by a dedicated railway line and station, it served as the major departure point for German and European emigrants until 1969 when ocean liner travel ceased. The ornate assembly hall and associated buildings survived wartime damage and peacetime urban renewal to be restored in 1998 for use as a museum and cruise ship terminal.{{Cite web |url=http://hapag-hallen-cuxhaven-eng.jimdo.com/history/ |title=Hapag Halle Museum Cuxhaven |access-date=2014-10-15 |archive-date=2016-03-04 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304132940/http://hapag-hallen-cuxhaven-eng.jimdo.com/history/ |url-status=dead }}

On 15 March 1907 Cuxhaven gained city status within the state of Hamburg. In 1937 Cuxhaven became an urban district of the Stade Region within the Prussian Province of Hanover by the Greater Hamburg Act. In 1972 some municipalities of the neighboured rural district of Land of Hadeln were incorporated into the urban district of Cuxhaven. In 1977 Cuxhaven lost the status as urban district and was integrated into the new rural District of Cuxhaven, being its capital.

During the First World War Nordholz Airbase with its airship hangars, near Nordholz to the south of Cuxhaven, was one of the major Imperial German Navy airship stations. On Christmas Day 1914 it was attacked by Royal Navy seaplanes in the Cuxhaven Raid. It subsequently became a strategically important city as German authorities and civilians feared it would be the site of an Allied invasion.{{Cite book|last=Hastings|first=Max|url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/828893101|title=Catastrophe 1914: Europe goes to war|date=2013|isbn=978-0-307-59705-2|edition=First American|location=New York|oclc=828893101}}

During the Second World War, the town hosted a base of a Wehrmacht radio network, codenamed BROWN, which transmitted data regarding experimental weapon developments, including rocketry. From this location the last ENIGMA-code–encrypted message of the war was transmitted on 7 May 1945. It reported the arrival of British troops and ends: "Closing down for ever – all the best – goodbye."{{Cite web

|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-52583322/|title=VE Day 2020: Last Nazi message intercepted by Bletchley Park revealed|first=Gordon|last=Corera|date=8 May 2020|website=BBC News|access-date=May 13, 2020}}

Between 1945 and 1964 the Hermann-Oberth-Gesellschaft performed various civilian experiments in rocketry near Cuxhaven.

File:Cuxhaven 07-2016 photo19 port area.jpg

File: Elbe 1 - Bürgermeister O´Swald II -- Ystad-2017.jpg 1. It is now a B&B in Cuxhaven. 2017.]]

File:Cuxhaven 07-2016 photo29 Outer Elbe.jpg

File:Cuxhaven Bahnhof Westseite 2008 by-RaBoe 02.jpg

The origins of tourism go back to the year 1816 when a seaside resort was founded in Cuxhaven. Since 1964 Cuxhaven has been a state-recognized climate seaside resort (Seeheilbad) and centre of the so-called holiday region of Cuxland.

In the village of Lüdingworth, in the southern part of the town, stands the Jacobikirche, Saint Jack's Church. Due to its organ by Arp Schnitger and its lavish baroque interior, the building is one of the most notable of its kind in all Lower Saxony.

The town is served by Cuxhaven station.

The island of Neuwerk is situated {{convert|8|km|0}} off the coast from Cuxhaven. At low tide the water recedes so far from the coast that the island can be reached either by mudflat hiking or by horse carriage.

A modern landmark of Cuxhaven is the Friedrich-Clemens-Gerke Tower, a telecommunication tower built of concrete, which is not accessible to the public. It is not really a landmark, for many cities in Germany have a similar tower.

The high-test peroxide (HTP) submarine U1407 was raised from where she had been scuttled in Cuxhaven after WWII and rebuilt by the British, being commissioned as HMS Meteorite. It was the catalyst for a series of German-made air-independent propulsion submarines such as the Type 212 and Type 214.

{{See also|List of twin towns and sister cities in Germany}}

Cuxhaven is twinned with:{{cite web|title=Städte|url=https://www.cuxhaven.de/staticsite/staticsite.php?menuid=64&topmenu=13|website=cuxhaven.de|publisher=Cuxhaven|language=de|access-date=2021-02-11|archive-date=2021-01-15|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210115213406/https://www.cuxhaven.de/staticsite/staticsite.php?menuid=64&topmenu=13|url-status=dead}}

• {{flagicon|GER}} Binz, Germany (1990)
• {{flagicon|ISL}} Hafnarfjörður, Iceland (1988)
• {{flagicon|ENG}} Penzance, England, United Kingdom (1967–1974, 2009–present)
• {{flagicon|GER}} Sassnitz, Germany (1990)
• {{flagicon|FRA}} Vannes, France (1963)

File:Carsten Niebuhr.JPG]]

• Carsten Niebuhr (1733–1815), mathematician, cartographer and explorer.{{cite EB9 |wstitle = Niebuhr, Karsten |volume= XVII | page= |short=1}}
• Joachim Ringelnatz (1883–1934), poet, cabaret artiste and painter. Since 2002 the city hosts the Joachim Ringelnatz-Museum, managed by the Joachim Ringelnatz-Foundation.
• Francis Dutton CMG (1818–1877), 7th Premier of South Australia
• Anna Strohsahl (1885–1953), first woman city councillor in Cuxhaven
• Curt Rothenberger (1896–1959), lawyer and Nazi politician
• August Dieckmann (1912–1943), Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross recipient
• Rainer Feist (1945–2007), Admiral, Deputy Supreme Commander of the NATO – HQ
• Stefanie Schneider (born 1968), photographer/artist
• Volker Neumüller (born 1969), music manager and former DSDS jury member
• Constantin Schreiber (born 1979), journalist and author

• Jochen Fraatz (born 1963), handball player, member of the national team, team silver medallist at the 1984 Summer Olympics
• Gunnar Sauer (born 1964), footballer, played 303 matches
• Lena Petermann (born 1994), footballer, played over 170 matches, including 22 for Germany women's national football team

Cuxhaven has an oceanic climate (Köppen: Cfb; Trewartha: Dobk), located on the coast of the Baltic Sea, the weather is noticeably warmer in winter and cooler in summer.

The Cuxhaven weather station has recorded the following extreme values:

• Its highest temperature was {{convert|36.3|C|F}} on 9 August 1992.
• Its lowest temperature was {{convert|-18.2|C|F}} on 24 February 1947.
• Its greatest annual precipitation was {{convert|1144.5|mm|in|abbr=on}} in 1998.
• Its least annual precipitation was {{convert|482.2|mm|in|abbr=on}} in 1959.
• The longest annual sunshine was 2179.3 hours in 1947.
• The shortest annual sunshine was 1421.7 hours in 1988.

{{Weather box

|location = Cuxhaven (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1946–present)

|metric first = Y

|single line = Y

|Jan record high C = 14.4

|Feb record high C = 17.5

|Mar record high C = 22.4

|Apr record high C = 28.0

|May record high C = 31.3

|Jun record high C = 33.8

|Jul record high C = 35.9

|Aug record high C = 36.3

|Sep record high C = 31.4

|Oct record high C = 25.6

|Nov record high C = 19.4

|Dec record high C = 14.5

|year record high C = 36.3

|Jan avg record high C = 10.5

|Feb avg record high C = 10.6

|Mar avg record high C = 15.5

|Apr avg record high C = 20.4

|May avg record high C = 24.2

|Jun avg record high C = 27.9

|Jul avg record high C = 29.0

|Aug avg record high C = 29.6

|Sep avg record high C = 24.4

|Oct avg record high C = 19.2

|Nov avg record high C = 14.1

|Dec avg record high C = 11.1

|year avg record high C = 31.6

|Jan high C = 4.5

|Feb high C = 4.9

|Mar high C = 7.8

|Apr high C = 12.3

|May high C = 16.1

|Jun high C = 19.0

|Jul high C = 21.4

|Aug high C = 21.6

|Sep high C = 18.2

|Oct high C = 13.5

|Nov high C = 8.5

|Dec high C = 5.5

|year high C = 12.8

|Jan mean C = 2.7

|Feb mean C = 2.9

|Mar mean C = 5.0

|Apr mean C = 8.8

|May mean C = 12.6

|Jun mean C = 15.7

|Jul mean C = 18.0

|Aug mean C = 18.2

|Sep mean C = 15.1

|Oct mean C = 10.9

|Nov mean C = 6.5

|Dec mean C = 3.6

|year mean C = 10.0

|Jan low C = 0.7

|Feb low C = 0.8

|Mar low C = 2.5

|Apr low C = 5.8

|May low C = 9.6

|Jun low C = 12.7

|Jul low C = 15.1

|Aug low C = 15.2

|Sep low C = 12.4

|Oct low C = 8.4

|Nov low C = 4.5

|Dec low C = 1.7

|year low C = 7.4

|Jan avg record low C = -6.4

|Feb avg record low C = -5.0

|Mar avg record low C = -2.1

|Apr avg record low C = 1.4

|May avg record low C = 5.3

|Jun avg record low C = 9.2

|Jul avg record low C = 11.7

|Aug avg record low C = 11.1

|Sep avg record low C = 8.6

|Oct avg record low C = 2.9

|Nov avg record low C = -0.9

|Dec avg record low C = -4.2

|year avg record low C = -8.4

|Jan record low C = -15.7

|Feb record low C = -18.2

|Mar record low C = -13.3

|Apr record low C = -2.6

|May record low C = 0.5

|Jun record low C = 4.2

|Jul record low C = 7.2

|Aug record low C = 7.6

|Sep record low C = 3.3

|Oct record low C = -2.4

|Nov record low C = -7.9

|Dec record low C = -15.1

|year record low C = -18.2

|precipitation colour = green

|Jan precipitation mm = 69.1

|Feb precipitation mm = 53.1

|Mar precipitation mm = 48.4

|Apr precipitation mm = 36.8

|May precipitation mm = 52.1

|Jun precipitation mm = 77.1

|Jul precipitation mm = 84.8

|Aug precipitation mm = 90.6

|Sep precipitation mm = 80.8

|Oct precipitation mm = 84.2

|Nov precipitation mm = 71.5

|Dec precipitation mm = 77.8

|year precipitation mm = 824.4

|unit precipitation days = 0.1 mm

|Jan precipitation days = 18.6

|Feb precipitation days = 15.6

|Mar precipitation days = 15.5

|Apr precipitation days = 13.1

|May precipitation days = 13.7

|Jun precipitation days = 15.0

|Jul precipitation days = 16.1

|Aug precipitation days = 16.8

|Sep precipitation days = 15.9

|Oct precipitation days = 17.7

|Nov precipitation days = 18.9

|Dec precipitation days = 19.0

|year precipitation days = 193.6

|Jan snow depth cm = 2.8

|Feb snow depth cm = 3.3

|Mar snow depth cm = 2.6

|Apr snow depth cm = 0.1

|May snow depth cm = 0

|Jun snow depth cm = 0

|Jul snow depth cm = 0

|Aug snow depth cm = 0

|Sep snow depth cm = 0

|Oct snow depth cm = 0

|Nov snow depth cm = 0.3

|Dec snow depth cm = 2.5

|year snow depth cm = 6.7

|unit snow days = 1.0 cm

|Jan snow days = 3.6

|Feb snow days = 4.3

|Mar snow days = 1.9

|Apr snow days = 0.1

|May snow days = 0

|Jun snow days = 0

|Jul snow days = 0

|Aug snow days = 0

|Sep snow days = 0

|Oct snow days = 0

|Nov snow days = 0.4

|Dec snow days = 3.0

|year snow days = 15.0

|Jan humidity = 86.9

|Feb humidity = 84.4

|Mar humidity = 81.2

|Apr humidity = 76.7

|May humidity = 75.2

|Jun humidity = 75.4

|Jul humidity = 75.9

|Aug humidity = 75.8

|Sep humidity = 78.5

|Oct humidity = 82.3

|Nov humidity = 86.5

|Dec humidity = 87.9

|year humidity = 80.5

|Jan sun = 47.3

|Feb sun = 71.7

|Mar sun = 131.4

|Apr sun = 192.5

|May sun = 233.1

|Jun sun = 218.1

|Jul sun = 229.8

|Aug sun = 211.3

|Sep sun = 157.3

|Oct sun = 108.8

|Nov sun = 53.6

|Dec sun = 37.3

|year sun = 1698.5

|source 1 = NOAA{{cite web

|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20230916125502/https://www.nodc.noaa.gov/archive/arc0216/0253808/1.1/data/0-data/Region-6-WMO-Normals-9120/Germany/CSV/Cuxhaven_10131.csv

|archive-date = 16 September 2023

|url = https://www.nodc.noaa.gov/archive/arc0216/0253808/1.1/data/0-data/Region-6-WMO-Normals-9120/Germany/CSV/Cuxhaven_10131.csv

|title = Cuxhaven Climate Normals 1991–2020

|publisher = National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

|access-date = 16 September 2023}}

|source 2 = Deutscher Wetterdienst / SKlima.de{{cite web

|url = http://sklima.de/datenbank_auswertung.php?tab=2

|title = Monatsauswertung

|website = sklima.de

|publisher = SKlima

|language = de

|access-date = 11 October 2024}}

}}

• Rocket experiments in the area of Cuxhaven
• Operation Backfire

File:Eingang zur Hapag-Halle.jpg

{{Reflist}}

{{Commons category|Cuxhaven}}

{{Wikivoyage}}

• [https://www.cuxhaven.de/ Official site] {{in lang|de}}
• [http://www.modellraketenbau.de/countdown/cdo030301.htm Operation "Backfire" and rocket experiments at Cuxhaven] {{in lang|de}}
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20161104084258/http://www.cuxhaven-buchen.de/ Further Tourist Information]

{{Geographic location

|Centre = Cuxhaven

|North = North Sea

|Northeast =

|East = Elbe river

|Southeast = Stade, Hamburg

|South = Bremerhaven, Bremen

|Southwest = Wilhelmshaven

|West = North Sea

|Northwest = Neuwerk, Heligoland, North Sea

}}

{{Cities and towns in Cuxhaven (district)}}

{{Authority control}}

Category:Rocket launch sites in Germany

Category:Towns in Lower Saxony

Category:Populated places established in 1907

Category:Port cities and towns in Germany

Category:Port cities and towns of the North Sea

Category:Populated riverside places in Germany

Category:Populated places on the Elbe

Category:Seaside resorts in Germany

Category:Populated coastal places in Germany (North Sea)