Vollzugsmuseum Wilhelmshaven

The Vollzugsmuseum Wilhelmshaven stands on the grounds of the Oldenburg prison’s Wilhelmshaven branch. It is one of only four museums in Germany that open their doors to the public with a focus on the history of imprisonment. The building itself began life in 1908 as a naval detention centre on the Ölhafendamm. The exhibition brings together hundreds of items from across Lower Saxony. Uniforms, firearms, edged weapons, personal effects and legal documents trace how punishment changed from the early 20th-century ‘custodial regime’—complete with leg-irons and birch rods—to the modern ‘treatment regime’ that emphasises education and rehabilitation. Panels recall the Nazi period, when naval prisoners here received death sentences that were later carried out. The museum also aims to challenge common prejudices about prisoners and their detention. Inside the former air-raid shelter you can see a reconstructed cell from the 1930s. Outside stands an old guardhouse restored by inmates from navy surplus. Regular events include readings and small concerts in the prison canteen, such as a crime-fiction evening by Christiane Franke attended by around a hundred guests. The museum’s design was overhauled in 2015 by students from Jade Hochschule under Professor Götz Greiner, giving every poster and leaflet a unified look.