Journeys with No Return

1 - It was a mass migration on an unprecedented scale: between 1821 and 1914, around 44 million people left their homes in Europe. Their destinations were the United States, Canada, South America or Australia. For many emigrants, Bremerhaven was an important stopover. Around 7 million people set out from here on the dangerous journey across the North Sea and the Atlantic Ocean, including almost 5 million Germans.

2 - Today, a museum in Bremerhaven commemorates this period. The German Emigration Center allows visitors to learn about the history of emigration and the family members who set off on their journeys at the time. Bremerhaven once had an emigrant hostel, built by the merchant Johann Georg Clausen in 1850. It was large enough for 1,500 to 2,000 people to sleep in and for about 3,500 people to be served hot meals. 3 - Many people gathered at the harbour before their ships were due to depart. They could stay at the emigrant hostel, often waiting for days for their ships to set sail. Why did so many people leave their homeland back then? 4 - Most hoped to find a better life abroad. Europe was gripped by severe poverty. Most people lived and worked on farms, but the mostly small farms could not feed everyone. A natural disaster also played a part. The enormous eruption of Mount Tambora in Indonesia in 1815 sent huge amounts of ash into the atmosphere. Sunlight could no longer get through properly, bringing extremely wet, cold summers. The result was smaller harvests. In Ireland, for example, the years 1845 to 1852 saw severe famine caused by potato blight. 5 - Young men emigrated to avoid military service, which in the Prussian state at the time lasted three years. In 1848, people in several countries tried to force the ruling kings and princes to introduce reforms. These attempts failed, and many disappointed democrats left the country. Members of Christian denominations also emigrated because they could not freely practise their religion in Europe. 6 - Some were surely drawn by good news from North America. It was easy to get land of your own there, or at least a secure job. Some followed the Gold Rush, which began in 1848 after a few gold nuggets were found during the construction of a sawmill in California. 7 - The sea crossing was arduous and dangerous. Many emigrants suffered from seasickness. Conditions on board were cramped, and they often had to provide their own food. If they fell ill, medicines and doctors were unavailable. Many people died on the journeys, which lasted several weeks. Until around 1880, sailing ships were the main vessels crossing the Atlantic; only after that did the more comfortable steamships come into use. 8 - Anyone arriving in New York City had to undergo strict checks. From 1892, these were carried out on Ellis Island. Some people were sent back. For those who were allowed to stay, it was usually a one-way journey. They never saw their relatives and friends again. They kept in touch with their old homeland only through letters, which often took several weeks to arrive.