Theaterschiff Batavia, Theater ship in Wedel, Germany
The Theaterschiff Batavia is a 29.8-metre-long, 7.8-metre-wide ship with a draught of 1.2 metres, converted into a theatre and moored since 1976 at the Brooksdamm on the Wedeler Au at the edge of Wedel. Its theatre hall seats around 70 people for theatre, cabaret, small-stage art and live music.
The vessel was recovered from Hamburg waters in 1952 and initially served as a rowing club facility. In 1972, it was purchased and transformed into a theater by Hannes Grabau.
The ship's name refers to Batavia, the historic Dutch name for Jakarta, though the vessel itself was renamed by Hannes Grabau in 1972. On board, a small restaurant operates alongside the theatre hall, and in summer a beer garden opens in front of the ship. Since 2006 the Seepferdchen children's theatre school has also been based on board.
The ship lies at the edge of Wedel on the Brooksdamm in the Wedeler Au, not in the town centre. The theatre hall seats around 70 people, and in summer an open-air cinema is shown at the ship. A small restaurant is on board, with a beer garden in front of the ship during the summer months.
The operator claims the hull is the river gunboat Vaterland, built in Stettin in 1892 for the Imperial Navy, though no document proves it; the real Vaterland was built in Elbing in 1903. The ship is 29.8 m long, 7.8 m wide and draws 1.2 m.
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