Alte Liebe Cuxhaven – A Viewpoint with History

Alte Liebe is Cuxhaven's best-known observation platform – since 1733, the spot where big ships pass by on the Elbe closer than almost anywhere else.

No museum, no admission fee, no fixed schedule: you simply walk out onto the two-storey platform on the riverbank, look out over the water – and wait for the next freighter, tanker or cruise ship to pass. Cuxhaven is about 18 km, roughly a 20-minute drive, from Nordseezimmer, so a visit pairs easily with a stroll through the seaside town.

From sunken ships to landmark

Alte Liebe's origins go back to 1733: three decommissioned ships were sunk at this spot to protect the harbour entrance of the time and shield it from waves. Piles were driven in around the wrecks, and the gaps filled with stones and brushwood – over time, a simple breakwater grew into a proper landing stage.

Its current form as a pure observation platform came much later, in the early 1980s: the decaying wooden piles were replaced with a sturdier structure, topped by the two-storey platform you see today.

Alte Liebe today – ships close enough to touch

From the upper deck you look straight out onto the shipping channel of the Lower Elbe, where freighters, tankers and cruise ships pass on their way to and from Hamburg – often just a few hundred metres away. Telescopes on site help you get a closer look.

If you want to know what's passing by, seasonal help is on hand: according to the operator, the Schiffsansagedienst Cuxhaven e. V. (ship announcement service) informs visitors during the day from April to October about the size, origin and destination of passing ships. It's most impressive on a rising tide, when several big ships turn towards Hamburg in quick succession.

That's down to the Elbe's tidal range: deep-draft freighters and tankers need enough water under the keel, so they tend to arrive or depart around high tide. If you want to catch the most ship traffic, time your visit roughly around that – you can find the current tide times for Cuxhaven online or at the tourist office.

Alte Liebe doesn't stand alone, either: on the way there, you'll pass other maritime landmarks of Cuxhaven – the historic Windsemaphor from 1884, which once signalled wind direction and strength for shipping, and the Hamburger Leuchtturm from 1804, one of the oldest lighthouses on the German North Sea coast. The Feuerschiff Elbe 1 lightship, now moored as a museum ship, is also within sight. If you have the time, combine your visit with a walk along the quay to take these in too.

Where the name comes from

There's no confirmed answer to where the name comes from – only legends. One common explanation points to one of the ships sunk in 1733, said to have been called "Die Liebe" ("The Love"). Another traces it to the Low German word for a ship named "Olivia", which is said to have shifted into "Ol' Leev" – "Old Love". Which version is true can no longer be established with certainty.

Renovation ahead – what's changing

Alte Liebe is showing its age: structural surveys in 2021 and 2024 found significant damage to load-bearing concrete parts, according to operator Niedersachsen Ports (NPorts). NPorts is therefore planning a renovation – by its own account, the new platform will be single-storey and set roughly a metre higher, to better protect it from rising storm-surge water levels. Rebuilding the previous two-storey upper deck isn't possible for structural reasons, says NPorts – a decision that has also met with criticism in Cuxhaven.

NPorts hasn't publicly announced a firm construction start date. As of July 2026, the renovation is still in the planning stage and hasn't begun – if you're planning a visit, it's worth checking current access with Niedersachsen Ports or the Cuxhaven tourist office shortly beforehand.

Back to Nordseezimmer

After an afternoon of wind, open water and big ships, it's about a 20-minute drive back to some quiet. At Nordseezimmer, either Koje or Koi is waiting with its own bathroom, a large bed and free Wi-Fi – handy, too, if your Cuxhaven day trip turns into a business trip to the port city.