Released on = July 3, 2007, 2:03 am

Press Release Author = Mutual Public Relations

Industry =

Press Release Summary = On 5 July, the BallinStadt Emigrant World Hamburg, located
on Veddel Island in the River Elbe, opens to the public. Situated on the site of the
historical emigrant city built by the HAPAG shipping company under its general
manager Albert Ballin between 1898 and 1901. The BallinStadt tells the moving story
of more than five million people who left their homes between 1850 and 1939 via the
Port of Hamburg to start a new life in America.

Press Release Body = The centrepiece of the BallinStadt is the careful
reconstruction of the three original living and sleeping pavilions. The main
exhibition, housed in the second building, provides an authentic and moving
impression of all the phases involved in emigration.

From 1891 on, Hamburg became one of the most important ports for emigrants from all
across Europe. In 1901, Albert Ballin had an “Emigrant City” built for the many
thousands of people, most from eastern and south-eastern Europe, who arrived in
Hamburg to await their embarkation. In the busiest years, the accommodation was used
by up to 190,000 people a year. The site, which gradually grew in size until it
covered 55,000 square metres, housed 30 buildings: in addition to living and
sleeping quarters, there were two hotels, large dining halls, a church, a synagogue,
a music pavilion, hygiene and disinfection facilities and several administration
buildings. During the extension work in 1906/07, additional living and sleeping
pavilions and an impressive reception building were added.

The BallinStadt Emigrant World Hamburg is a private-public partnership headed by the
City of Hamburg. The total cost of construction will be €12 million. The project is
generously supported by private sponsors, with Hapag Lloyd AG donating €1.6 million,
Norddeutsche Affinerie providing €1.0 million, Hamburg Airport donating €0.25
million and Hamburger Feuerkasse €0.2 million. The City of Hamburg selected
LeisureWorkGroup GmbH from a pool of 15 international competitors for the project to
provide the exhibition concept, construction services, fittings and equipment, and
operational planning. LeisureWorkGroup has invested €0.45 million in the project so
far.

The concept behind BallinStadt emigrant World Hamburg
The BallinStadt Emigrant World Hamburg gives visitors a comprehensive and very
moving impression of the mass phenomenon of emigration, covering all phases from
packing up to arriving and settling in a new country. In addition to providing
fascinating glimpses of the different phases of leaving one life and travelling to
start a new one, the exhibition also examines what made people choose to leave their
home and it traces their fortunes after their arrival in New York. The interactive
edutainment exhibition allows visitors to relate to past and present aspects of
emigration; innovative technology enables them to slip into the role of an emigrant
and embark on a journey to a new life. Children can accompany their parents on this
journey, thus allowing them to experience the topic from their own perspective. The
exhibition will offer special school programmes for varying age groups.


The BallinStadt Emigrant World Hamburg is divided into three separate areas which
are interlinked:

The main entrance and lobby is located in Building 1, as are special exhibition
areas and a public research section with computer workstations for visitors
interested in tracing the emigration history of their ancestors. BallinStadt staff
specially trained in genealogy are on hand to provide assistance. Visitors can
search the passenger lists from 1850 to 1934 and the MyFamily database (in Germany:
Ancestry.de) which includes, among other information, the U.S. census lists that can
help the millions of descendants of emigrants to pinpoint where their family
originally came from. The Hamburg passenger lists provide a wealth of information
about the five million emigrants who left from Hamburg and they are a unique source
of information for researchers.

Building 2 houses the main exhibition with a round tour of the main phases of
emigration. Visitors learn about a number of topics, including Living in Europe,
Decision and Departure, Hamburg – The Port of Emigrants, The Ocean Journey, The New
World and A New Home.

Building 3, which contains an exhibition about the life in the Emigrants’ Halls,
actually includes the last remaining sections of the original historical building.
Visitors are given a deeply moving impression of the atmosphere in these halls one
hundred years ago. The centre will also have a restaurant/cafe and will serve as an
event location for all kinds of special events.

The official opening ceremony for the BallinStadt will take place on 4 July 2007.
The new centre opens to the general public the following day, on 5 July 2007.


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Contact Details = Mutual Public Relations, Opp-Star Bazaar, Near Jodhpur cross roads.
079-26928115