Minensucher-Denkmal

The Minensucher-Denkmal stands near the waterfront at Cuxhaven’s Alte Liebe, a low granite memorial topped by a First World War sea mine. Its heavy walls form a breastwork around a small paved plaza, all under Lower Saxon conservation orders. The site overlooks the Elbe estuary where minesweepers once sailed to sea. Built in 1935 to designs by Kapitänleutnant Erich Bodanowitz, the monument was paid for by the Hamburg Minesweepers’ Comradeship. It commemorates the crews lost while clearing mines in both world wars, when Cuxhaven housed up to 300 minesweeping vessels. A veterans’ gathering on 9 June 1935 marked its unveiling, and a restoration finished in 2008 keeps the stonework sound. Visitors find a quiet square enclosed by the memorial’s walls, where the mine itself sits on a pedestal. Bronze plaques list the names of fallen sailors, and benches allow a view across the harbour to passing ships. The wind carries the scent of salt water and diesel from the nearby docks, while the granite glows pink at sunset.