Location

Wilhelmshaven is a young city. Founded in 1869 by Prussian King Wilhelm I as a naval base, it has had a chequered history since then. In the 150 years since it was founded, Wilhelmshaven has twice been virtually completely destroyed, but the city on the Jade Bight was successfully rebuilt in both cases.

Nowadays, Wilhelmshaven is the main urban centre in north-western Lower Saxony. It has a thriving port economy with a container terminal and is Germany’s largest port for handling coal and oil. The high degree of industrialisation (energy and chemicals, food-processing industry, mechanical and plant engineering) makes the city an attractive location for investors from all over the world and ensures that it is well equipped to meet the demands of the future. It has rail, road and waterway links to all conurbation regions and economic centres on the European mainland, which means that 250 million consumers can be reached very quickly.

The steadily expanding service sector and wide range of tourist amenities feature prominently in the city, which is located in the centre of the German North Sea coast holiday region. The unique flair of Südstrand beach attracts large numbers of holidaymakers and day trippers. Finally, the city boasts a large number of tourist attractions, museums, exhibitions and mega-events as well as hotels, catering and retail outlets.