Deutsches Zollmuseum, Customs museum in HafenCity, Hamburg, Germany
The Deutsches Zollmuseum is a museum in a former customs building in the Hamburg-Mitte district, tracing the history of German customs through original objects, uniforms, and documents. It sits directly on the customs canal in the Speicherstadt and is spread across several rooms on multiple floors.
The building that houses the museum served as an active customs post until 1985, after which it was converted for its new purpose. The museum opened in 1992, making it one of the more recent additions to Hamburg's museum landscape.
The museum shows how customs officers worked day to day, what tools they used, and what goods they seized. Visitors can see confiscated smuggled items from different periods, ranging from tobacco to counterfeit products.
The museum is in the Speicherstadt, a historic warehouse district that is easy to reach on foot from Hamburg's main train station or from the Baumwall metro stop. Those who want to visit the museum boat moored outside should plan for dry weather, as it is located outdoors along the canal.
The Oldenburg, a customs boat moored at the canal next to the building, was actually in service and used by customs authorities to check traffic on the water. On board, visitors can see how customs officers operated on river routes, an aspect that rarely appears in other museums.
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