Discover

'Cuxhaven' is a large independent town and seat of the Cuxhaven district, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated on the shore of the North Sea at the mouth of the Elbe River. Cuxhaven has a footprint of 14 km (east-west) by 7 km (north-south). It is a popular vacation spot on the North Sea and home to about 52,000 residents.
Cuxhaven is home to an important fisherman's wharf and ship registration point for Hamburg as well as the Kiel Canal. Tourism is also of great importance. The city long belonged to Hamburg. The Island of Neuwerk, a Hamburg dependency, is located just northwest of Cuxhaven in the North Sea. The city's symbol is a beacon or lighthouse; the wooden landmark on the mouth of the Elbe marks the boundary between the river and the North Sea and also adorns the the city's coat of arms.

Contents

History

Cuxhaven's role in German rocketry

Other information

See also

External links

History

Cuxhaven is relatively young: it became a town on March 15, 1907. For over 600 years until 1937 Cuxhaven belonged to Hamburg.

Cuxhaven's role in German rocketry

Between 1945 and 1964 various experiments in rocketry were performed near Cuxhaven. On 2, 4, and 14 October 1945 one rocket of the type A4 (also known as the V-2 rocket) was launched from a site between Arensch and Sahlenburg in order to demonstrate the V-2 rocket to the Allied military. This action was called Operation Backfire. A layout plan of the starting point of Operation Backfire can be found here.
From 1957 to 1964 in the cotton wool area of Cuxhaven the German Rocket Society e.V. (later called the Hermann Oberth society e.V.), Ernst Mohr, and the Berthold-Seliger research and development company mbH launched approximately 500 rockets. The smallest of these rockets were used for sea rescue, whereas the largest were research rockets. The most remarkable rockets launched at this time in the tideland of Cuxhaven were the rockets of Ernst Mohr (maximum altitude: 50 kilometers, takeoff weight 150kg), the ''Kumulus'' and ''Cirrus'' of the Herrmann-Oberth-society, and the rockets of the Berthold Seliger research and development company;. The latter launched a three-stage rocket which attained a height of 120 kilometers for the first time on 2 May 1963 in the tideland of Cuxhaven. This was the only rocket developed in postwar Germany which reached space.
On 5 December 1963 the Berthold Seliger research and development company mbH gave a demonstration of their missiles to representatives from non-NATO states. Although the demonstrated rockets were not directly militarily usable, this action fuelled the distrust of the German authorities.
After a deadly accident at a rocket demonstration given by Gerhard Zucker in Braunlage on 7 May 1964, the authorities halted the experiments with a provisional order in June 1964, although neither the Berthold-Seliger research and development society mbH nor the Hermann Oberth society e.V. cooperated with Gerhard Zucker in any way.

Other information

A few kilometers off the Cuxhaven coast lies the island of Neuwerk. 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.
The High test peroxide ('HTP') Submarine U 1407, 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 submarine and Type 214 submarine.

See also

★ Rocket experiments in the area of Cuxhaven

External links

★ Official site

★ Operation "Backfire" and rocket experiments at Cuxhaven

★ Panoramic views from Cuxhaven