Editing Wilhelmshaven

{{short description|Town in Lower Saxony, Germany}}
{{For|the World War II German merchant ship|SS Wilhelmshaven}}
{{EngvarB|date=July 2022}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2022}}
{{Infobox German location
|type               = Stadt
|image_coa          = DEU Wilhelmshaven COA.svg
|image_skyline      = 2012-05-28 Fotoflug Cuxhaven Wilhelmshaven DSC 3909.jpg
|image_caption      = 
|coordinates        = {{coord|53|31|43|N|08|06|20|E|display=inline,title}}
|image_plan         = 
|state              = Niedersachsen
|district           = urban
|elevation          = 2
|area               = 106.91
|postal_code        = 26351–26389
|area_code          = 04421, 04423, and 04425 (each partially)
|licence            = WHV
|Gemeindeschlüssel  = 03 4 05 000
|website            = [https://www.wilhelmshaven.de/ www.wilhelmshaven.de]
|mayor              = Carsten Feist<ref name=mayor>{{cite web |url=https://www.statistik.niedersachsen.de/download/169156 |title=Verzeichnis der direkt gewählten Bürgermeister/-innen und Landräte/Landrätinnen |date=April 2021 |publisher=[[Landesamt für Statistik Niedersachsen]] |access-date=2021-11-17 |archive-date=2021-11-17 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211117100911/https://www.statistik.niedersachsen.de/download/169156 |url-status=live }}</ref>
|leader_term        = 2019&ndash;24
|Bürgermeistertitel = Oberbürgermeister
|party              = Independent
}}

'''Wilhelmshaven''' ({{IPA|de|vɪlhɛlmsˈhaːfn̩|-|De-Wilhelmshaven.ogg}}, {{lit}} ''Wilhelm's Harbour''; [[Northern Low Saxon]]: ''Willemshaven'') is a coastal town in [[Lower Saxony]], [[Germany]]. It is situated on the western side of the [[Jade Bight]], a bay of the [[North Sea]], and has a population of 76,089.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.statistik.niedersachsen.de/startseite/ |title=Landesamt für Statistik Niedersachsen |access-date=2021-04-17 |archive-date=2019-04-20 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190420053548/https://www.statistik.niedersachsen.de/startseite/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Wilhelmshaven is the centre of the "Jade Bay" business region (which has around 330,000 inhabitants) and is Germany's main military port.

The adjacent [[Lower Saxony Wadden Sea National Park]] (part of the Wattenmeer [[UNESCO]] [[World Natural Heritage Site]]) provides the basis for the major tourism industry in the region.

==History==
The {{ill|Siebethsburg castle|de|3=Sibetsburg}}, built before 1383, operated as a [[pirate]] stronghold; the [[Hanseatic League]] destroyed it in 1433. Four centuries later, the [[Kingdom of Prussia]] planned a fleet and a harbour on the North Sea. In 1853, Prince [[Adalbert of Prussia]], a cousin of the Prussian King [[Frederick William IV of Prussia|Frederick William IV]], arranged the [[Jade Treaty]] (''Jade-Vertrag'') with the [[Grand Duchy of Oldenburg]], in which Prussia and the Grand Duchy entered into a contract whereby Oldenburg ceded {{cvt|3.13|km2}} of its territory at the Jade Bight to Prussia. In 1869 King [[William I of Prussia]] (later also German Emperor) founded the town as an [[exclave]] of the [[Province of Hanover]] and a naval base for [[Prussian Navy|Prussia's developing fleet]]. All the [[hinterland]] of the city remained a part of Oldenburg.

A shipbuilding yard developed at Wilhelmshaven, the ''Kaiserliche Werft Wilhelmshaven'' ([[Wilhelmshaven Imperial Shipyard]]). On 30 June 1934 the "[[pocket battleship]]" ''[[German pocket battleship Admiral Graf Spee|Admiral Graf Spee]]'' was launched at Wilhelmshaven. The battleship [[German battleship Scharnhorst|''Scharnhorst'']] was subsequently laid down a year afterward, before her commissioning in 1939.

In 1937 Wilhelmshaven and the adjacent village [[Rüstringen]] merged<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.luftschutzbunker-wilhelmshaven.de/historie/histowhv.html |publisher=Luftschutzbunker Wilhelmshaven |access-date=2017-12-18 |title=Wilhelmshaven |archive-date=2018-07-20 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180720115346/http://www.luftschutzbunker-wilhelmshaven.de/historie/histowhv.html |url-status=live }}</ref> and the united city, named Wilhelmshaven, became a part of the [[Free State of Oldenburg]].

===World War II===
{{See also|Bombing of Wilhelmshaven in World War II}}
During [[World War II]] (1939–1945), Wilhelmshaven served as the main base of the [[Kriegsmarine]]. [[Allies of World War II|Allied]] bombing destroyed two thirds of the town's buildings while the main target, the [[Kriegsmarinewerft|Naval Shipyard Wilhelmshaven]], remained operational despite serious damage.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.luftschutzbunker-wilhelmshaven.de/historie/statistik.html |title=Angriffe und Statistik |publisher=Homepage Luftschutzbunker Wilhelmshaven |access-date=2017-12-17 |archive-date=2018-04-25 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180425183243/http://www.luftschutzbunker-wilhelmshaven.de/historie/statistik.html |url-status=live }}</ref> A major attack on residential areas of Wilhelmshaven was carried out on 15 October 1944. Various churches, hospitals, schools and many residential buildings were destroyed or severely damaged.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.uwe-karwath.de/wilhelmshaven_abisz_M.html |title=Uwe Karwath &#124; Wilhelmshaven – Sehenswürdigkeiten von a bis Z – Teil 3 |access-date=2022-06-11 |archive-date=2022-03-28 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220328071708/https://www.uwe-karwath.de/wilhelmshaven_abisz_M.html |url-status=live }}</ref> During the war, ''Alter Banter Weg'' (No. 1582 Wilhelmshaven), functioned as a subcamp of the [[Neuengamme concentration camp]].<ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.kz-gedenkstaette-neuengamme.de/en/history/satellite-camps/satellite-camps/wilhelmshaven-alter-banter-weg/ | title= KZ-Gedenkstätte Neuengamme, WILHELMSHAVEN (ALTER BANTER WEG) | language = en | access-date=2023-12-27 }}</ref>
On 28 April 1945 the [[1st Armoured Division (Poland)|Polish First Armored Division]] captured Wilhelmshaven, and took the surrender of the entire garrison, including over 200 ships of the [[Kriegsmarine]].<ref>{{cite book | author= Evan McGilvray | title= The Black Devils' March--A Doomed Odyssey: The 1st Polish Armoured Division 1939-1945 | isbn = 9781874622420 | language = English}}</ref> The Poles remained as part of the Allied occupation forces until 1947.

=== Since 1945 ===
In 1947 the city council decided to seek a new emblem for the city. After the [[Control Commission for Germany - British Element|Control Commission for Germany – British Element (CCG/BE)]] had rejected several designs, Wilhelmshaven selected the image of a [[Frisia]]n warrior (''Rüstringer Friese''), designed after a [[Nail Men|nail man]] erected in the city during the [[World War I|First World War]] to collect war donations.

Between 1947 and 1972 Wilhelmshaven was the home of [[Prince Rupert School]], a comprehensive boarding school for children of [[British Army of the Rhine]] and [[Royal Air Force Germany]] personnel serving in [[West Germany]]. The school relocated to [[Rinteln]] in [[Lower Saxony]] in 1972, and closed in 2014. There is an active association of former Wilhelmshaven pupils called The Wilhelmshaven Association. After World War II the shipyard was totally disarmed under the British Commander in Chief, and of course many military buildings were damaged or vacant. While it was prohibited to establish any kind of military-linked businesses, Wilhelmshaven took the opportunity to provide a convenient location for [[Olympia Werke]], which became one of the most popular quality typewriter factories in the world. A workforce of 7,000 worker was employed there in 1953.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.zeit.de/1954/29/olympia-werke-jetzt-ag |title=Olympiawerke jetzt AG = Die Zeit | newspaper=Die Zeit |date=1954-07-22 |access-date=2017-12-18 |archive-date=2018-11-12 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181112055540/https://www.zeit.de/1954/29/olympia-werke-jetzt-ag |url-status=live }}</ref>

==Today==
[[File:Karte-Stadtteile-Wilhelmshaven.png|thumb|Wilhelmshaven and its city districts]]

Wilhelmshaven is Germany's only deep-water [[port]], and its largest [[naval base]]. Concerning the new plans for the [[Bundeswehr]] which took shape in 2011 it has become the largest military base in Germany as well.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.abendblatt.de/region/niedersachsen/article108161097/Wilhelmshaven-waechst-zum-groessten-Bundeswehrstandort.html |title=Wilhelmshaven wächst zum größten Bundeswehrstandort |publisher=Hamburger Abendblatt |date=2011-11-04 |access-date=2017-12-18 |archive-date=2020-09-29 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20200929151327/https://www.abendblatt.de/region/niedersachsen/article108161097/Wilhelmshaven-waechst-zum-groessten-Bundeswehrstandort.html |url-status=live }}</ref> The German defence forces ([[German Navy]], navy arsenal, logistics centre) together with the public sector, are the main pillars of the local employment market.{{cn|date=September 2022}}

The benefits of the deep shipping channel were already recognised at the end of the 1950s with the construction of the first [[oil tanker]] [[jetty]]. Wilhelmshaven has been the most important German import terminal for [[crude oil]] ever since.{{cn|date=September 2022}} Pipelines from here supply refineries in the Rhine-Ruhr region and Hamburg. Other major business operations followed, and constructed jetties for crude oil and oil products, coal, and chemical products. 

Planning for a [[liquefied natural gas terminal]] for [[LNG carrier|LNG ships]] began in 2017,<ref name=gasmagazine20170803>{{cite news |title=Zeitung: LNG-Terminal in Wilhelmshaven wieder in Planung |url=http://www.gas-magazin.de/gasmarkt/zeitung-lng-terminal-in-wilhelmshaven-wieder-in-planung_77020.html |work=Gas-Magazin |access-date=9 August 2022 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20170803232043/http://www.gas-magazin.de/gasmarkt/zeitung-lng-terminal-in-wilhelmshaven-wieder-in-planung_77020.html |archive-date=3 August 2017 |location=Berlin |language=de |date=20 October 2015 |url-status=dead}}</ref> but [[regulatory authority|regulatory]] impediments delayed construction for years.<ref name=politico20220227/> 

Following the [[2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine]],<ref name=politico20220227>{{cite news |title=Germany to upgrade two ports 'quickly' to receive shipped gas |url=https://www.politico.eu/article/germany-to-build-two-lng-terminals-quickly-to-reduce-energy-dependency-on-russia/ |work=[[Politico]] |date=27 February 2022 |access-date=8 August 2022 }}</ref><ref name=reuters20220719>{{cite news |title=Germany says fifth floating LNG terminal to be built by end of 2022 |url=https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/germany-says-fifth-floating-lng-terminal-be-built-by-end-2022-2022-07-19/ |work=Reuters |date=19 July 2022 |access-date=24 September 2022 }}</ref> as gas commitments from the [[Nord Stream 1]] and [[Nord Stream 2]] undersea [[Baltic Sea|Baltic]] pipelines [[2022–2023 Russia–European Union gas dispute|became unreliable]]<ref name=guardian20220808>{{cite news |title='We got too comfortable': the race to build an LNG terminal in north Germany |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/aug/18/berlin-scrambling-to-import-lng-as-russia-throttles-gas-supply |last=Oltermann|first=Philip |work=[[The Guardian]] |date=8 August 2022 |access-date=8 August 2022 }}</ref> and [[2022 Nord Stream pipeline sabotage|then unavailable]], construction of the [[Wilhelmshaven LNG terminal]] was rapidly accelerated from May 2022 to displace some of the pipeline gas imported from Russia.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Villegas |first1=Paulina |last2=Morris |first2=Loveday |title=Germany begins construction of liquefied natural gas terminal |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/05/05/russia-ukraine-war-news-putin-live-updates/#link-C7M3IFOIMZHTVIYXIZC7ALCZS4 |access-date=5 May 2022 |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=5 May 2022 |archive-date=5 May 2022 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20220505224918/https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/05/05/russia-ukraine-war-news-putin-live-updates/#link-C7M3IFOIMZHTVIYXIZC7ALCZS4 |url-status=live }}</ref> The terminal received its first load of LNG in December 2022.<ref name=op20230103>[https://oilprice.com/Energy/Natural-Gas/Germany-Welcomes-First-LNG-Carrier-At-New-Wilhelmshaven-Terminal.html Germany Welcomes First LNG Carrier At New Wilhelmshaven Terminal], OilPrice.com, 3 January 2023.</ref>

Another element of the "Wilhelmshaven energy hub" programme is the [[chemical industry]] (refinery, PVC, and chlorine gas production), as well as power generation (two [[coal-fired power station]]s, wind power).{{cn|date=September 2022}} Two short pipelines connect the LNG reception to the industrial zone.<ref>{{cite web |title=Germany's OGE Ensures Stable Gas Supply with Successful Completion of WAL II Pipeline {{!}} Pipeline Technology Journal |url=https://www.pipeline-journal.net/news/germanys-oge-ensures-stable-gas-supply-successful-completion-wal-ii-pipeline |website=www.pipeline-journal.net |date=6 October 2023}}</ref>

One of the main industrial sectors in Wilhelmshaven is the port industry with its wharves, sea port service companies, service providers and repair businesses, transhipment and handling businesses, agencies, etc.... The "[[JadeWeserPort]]" – Container Terminal Wilhelmshaven (CTW), operational since 2012 and the development of the neighbouring Freight Village provide prospects for employment in areas such as logistics and distribution. In 2016 Eurogate increased transhipment volume up to 480,000 Container (TEU). And since [[Volkswagen]] is interested in using the deep-water facilities the number of employed workers is assumed to rise from 400 to 600.<ref>{{Citation |last=Wolschner |first=Klaus |author-link = Klaus Wolschner |title=VW entdeckt Wilhelmshaven |journal=Tageszeitung TAZ |page=41 |date=2017-10-05}}</ref>

== Geography and climate ==
Wilhelmshaven has an [[oceanic climate]] ([[Köppen climate classification|Köppen]]: ''Cfb''; [[Trewartha climate classification|Trewartha]]: ''Dolk''). Wilhelmshaven is located on the coast of the [[North Sea]] and is influenced by a distinct maritime climate. The average temperature ranges from {{convert|1|C|F}} in winter to {{convert|16|C|F}} in summer, with warm winters and cool summers throughout the year.

The Wilhelmshaven weather station has recorded the following extreme values:<ref name=sklima/>
* Highest Temperature {{convert|36.0|C|F}} on 9 August 1992.
* Lowest Temperature {{convert|-19.8|C|F}} on 11 February 1929.
* Wettest Year {{convert|1025.7|mm|in|abbr=on}} in 1988.
* Driest Year {{convert|483.1|mm|in|abbr=on}} in 1959.
* Highest Daily Precipitation: {{convert|75.2|mm|in|abbr=on}} on 29 June 1981.
* Earliest Snowfall: 3 November 1919.
* Latest Snowfall: 14 April 1966.

{{Weather box
|location = Wilhelmshaven, 1961–1990 normals, extremes 1916–1998
|metric first = Y
|single line = Y
|Jan record high C = 13.1
|Feb record high C = 16.5
|Mar record high C = 23.0
|Apr record high C = 29.5
|May record high C = 30.9
|Jun record high C = 31.9
|Jul record high C = 33.8
|Aug record high C = 36.0
|Sep record high C = 27.7
|Oct record high C = 24.1
|Nov record high C = 17.8
|Dec record high C = 15.5
|year record high C = 36.0
|Jan avg record high C = 9.0
|Feb avg record high C = 9.5
|Mar avg record high C = 14.3
|Apr avg record high C = 20.9
|May avg record high C = 24.3
|Jun avg record high C = 27.3
|Jul avg record high C = 28.2
|Aug avg record high C = 28.2
|Sep avg record high C = 23.8
|Oct avg record high C = 19.8
|Nov avg record high C = 13.9
|Dec avg record high C = 10.7
|year avg record high C = 29.6
|Jan high C = 3.3
|Feb high C = 4.0
|Mar high C = 7.2
|Apr high C = 11.1
|May high C = 16.1
|Jun high C = 18.8
|Jul high C = 20.2
|Aug high C = 20.6
|Sep high C = 17.7
|Oct high C = 13.4
|Nov high C = 8.0
|Dec high C = 4.6
|year high C = 12.1
|Jan mean C = 1.2
|Feb mean C = 1.6
|Mar mean C = 4.0
|Apr mean C = 7.1
|May mean C = 11.7
|Jun mean C = 14.8
|Jul mean C = 16.3
|Aug mean C = 16.3
|Sep mean C = 13.7
|Oct mean C = 10.1
|Nov mean C = 5.6
|Dec mean C = 2.6
|year mean C = 8.7
|Jan low C = -1.0
|Feb low C = -0.9
|Mar low C = 1.2
|Apr low C = 3.6
|May low C = 7.6
|Jun low C = 10.8
|Jul low C = 12.6
|Aug low C = 12.6
|Sep low C = 10.4
|Oct low C = 7.2
|Nov low C = 3.3
|Dec low C = 0.4
|year low C = 5.6
|Jan avg record low C = -8.4
|Feb avg record low C = -7.7
|Mar avg record low C = -4.8
|Apr avg record low C = -1.5
|May avg record low C = 1.9
|Jun avg record low C = 5.9
|Jul avg record low C = 8.2
|Aug avg record low C = 8.0
|Sep avg record low C = 5.4
|Oct avg record low C = 1.5
|Nov avg record low C = -3.2
|Dec avg record low C = -6.9
|year avg record low C = -11.2
|Jan record low C = -17.6
|Feb record low C = -19.8
|Mar record low C = -15.2
|Apr record low C = -5.5
|May record low C = -1.8
|Jun record low C = 0.5
|Jul record low C = 5.2
|Aug record low C = 5.0
|Sep record low C = 2.0
|Oct record low C = -6.0
|Nov record low C = -10.2
|Dec record low C = -15.2
|year record low C = -19.8
|precipitation colour = green
|Jan precipitation mm = 70.4
|Feb precipitation mm = 43.0
|Mar precipitation mm = 60.7
|Apr precipitation mm = 51.8
|May precipitation mm = 63.5
|Jun precipitation mm = 72.6
|Jul precipitation mm = 83.0
|Aug precipitation mm = 78.6
|Sep precipitation mm = 73.3
|Oct precipitation mm = 71.5
|Nov precipitation mm = 86.8
|Dec precipitation mm = 75.9
|year precipitation mm = 831.2
|unit precipitation days = 0.1 mm
|Jan precipitation days = 19.2
|Feb precipitation days = 14.3
|Mar precipitation days = 16.7
|Apr precipitation days = 14.7
|May precipitation days = 15.3
|Jun precipitation days = 14.5
|Jul precipitation days = 17.1
|Aug precipitation days = 15.8
|Sep precipitation days = 16.4
|Oct precipitation days = 16.0
|Nov precipitation days = 20.0
|Dec precipitation days = 20.0
|year precipitation days = 200.0
|Jan snow depth cm = 6.4
|Feb snow depth cm = 7.6
|Mar snow depth cm = 3.8
|Apr snow depth cm = 0.4
|May snow depth cm = 0
|Jun snow depth cm = 0
|Jul snow depth cm = 0
|Aug snow depth cm = 0
|Sep snow depth cm = 0
|Oct snow depth cm = 0
|Nov snow depth cm = 1.9
|Dec snow depth cm = 4.9
|year snow depth cm = 12.9
|humidity colour = green
|Jan humidity = 86.1
|Feb humidity = 83.1
|Mar humidity = 80.8
|Apr humidity = 78.3
|May humidity = 76.8
|Jun humidity = 78.0
|Jul humidity = 79.1
|Aug humidity = 79.7
|Sep humidity = 82.2
|Oct humidity = 84.7
|Nov humidity = 86.2
|Dec humidity = 86.9
|year humidity = 81.8
|Jan sun = 
|Feb sun = 
|Mar sun = 
|Apr sun = 
|May sun = 
|Jun sun = 
|Jul sun = 
|Aug sun = 
|Sep sun = 
|Oct sun = 
|Nov sun = 
|Dec sun = 
|year sun = 
|source 1 = [[Deutscher Wetterdienst]] / SKlima.de<ref name=sklima>{{cite web 
|url = http://sklima.de/datenbank_auswertung.php?tab=2
|title = Monatsauswertung 
|website = sklima.de 
|publisher = SKlima 
|language = de 
|access-date = 14 October 2024}}</ref>
}}

==Sights==
[[File:Wilhelmshaven townhall front facing north Wilhelmshaven Germany 04.jpg|thumb|175px|Town Hall]]
[[File:Wilhelmshaven Jadestadion U21 Laenderspiel.JPG|thumb|175px|The [[Jadestadion]], the stadium of [[SV Wilhelmshaven]]]]
[[File:WilhelmshvnBurgruine2.jpg|thumb|175px|Ruins of Sibetsburg Castle]]
[[File:Christus- und Garnisonkirche, Wilhelmshaven.jpg|thumb|175px|Christus-und-Garnisonskirche]]
[[File:2009 04 Kopperhoerner Muehle.JPG|thumb|175px|Windmill Kopperhörner Mühle]]
*The [[Jadestadion]], the stadium of local club [[SV Wilhelmshaven]]
*[[Wasserturm Wilhelmshaven]] – water tower built in 1911 and a significant landmark of Wilhelmshaven city.
*Aquarium Wilhelmshaven, located on the Helgolandkai – a view of the oceans and underwater habitats around the world.
*The [[Botanischer Garten der Stadt Wilhelmshaven]], a municipal [[botanical garden]].
*The Deutsches Marinemuseum (Navy Museum), whose main exhibits are the former German Navy [[destroyer]] [[Mölders (D186)]], a [[submarine]], and some smaller warships as well as an exhibition of German naval history from the 19th century onwards.
*UNESCO World Heritage Site Wadden Sea Visitor center. The large permanent interactive exhibition provides insight into the Wadden Sea environment. One of the special displays is the 14-metre-long skeleton of a sperm whale which beached on the island of Baltrum in 1994 and weighed 39 tonnes when alive. The whale's organs were preserved using [[plastination]] by Gunther von Hagens.
*The Küstenmuseum (Coastal Museum). The exhibition displays a broad spectrum of the past, present and future of the coast.
*The ''Bontekai'', city harbor jetty, featuring the former light vessel "Weser" and the steam engine powered buoy layer "Kapitän Meyer", an active museum ship. During the "Jade Weekend" (late June) it is berth of tall sailing ships, too.
*The double swing bridge ''[[Kaiser-Wilhelm-Brücke]]'' ("Emperor Wilhelm Bridge") crosses an inlet of the Jade Bight. It was built from 1905 to 1907 and is considered to be one of Wilhelmshaven's landmarks.
*The Town Hall (Rathaus), a large brick building, constructed from 1927 to 1929 by the architect [[Fritz Höger]] as the town hall of the city of Rüstringen. It was severely damaged by bombs in 1944 and rebuilt from 1948 to 1953.
*Ruins of Sibetsburg Castle. It was built in 1383, conquered and dismantled in 1435.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.uwe-karwath.de/wilhelmshaven_abisz_S.html |title=Uwe Karwath &#124; Wilhelmshaven – Sehenswürdigkeiten von a bis Z – Teil 4 |access-date=2022-06-11 |archive-date=2022-06-10 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220610152520/https://www.uwe-karwath.de/wilhelmshaven_abisz_S.html |url-status=live }}</ref>
*The oldest church of the city is St. Jakobi Church at Neuende which was built about 1383 under the direction of the chieftain of Jever Edo Wiemken.<ref>[[:de:St.-Jakobi-Kirche (Neuende)]]</ref> The Christus-und-Garnisionskirche, built in 1869 by the Prussian architect [[Friedrich Adler (architect)|Friedrich Adler]] was heavily damaged by bombs in 1942 and rebuilt after the war.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.uwe-karwath.de/wilhelmshaven_abisz.html# |title=Uwe Karwath &#124; Wilhelmshaven – Sehenswürdigkeiten von a bis Z – Teil 1 |access-date=2022-06-11 |archive-date=2022-06-10 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220610152521/https://www.uwe-karwath.de/wilhelmshaven_abisz.html |url-status=live }}</ref>
*Kopperhörner Mühle is a windmill dating from 1839 which was renovated in 1982 and 2000.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.uwe-karwath.de/wilhelmshaven_abisz_G.html |title=Uwe Karwath &#124; Wilhelmshaven – Sehenswürdigkeiten von a bis Z – Teil 2 |access-date=2022-06-11 |archive-date=2021-11-22 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211122164658/https://www.uwe-karwath.de/wilhelmshaven_abisz_G.html |url-status=live }}</ref>
*Kaiser-Wilhelm-Denkmal at the Friedrich-Wilhelm-Platz, a monument erected in memory of emperor Wilhelm I of Prussia in 1896, who was one of the founder of the city. After the statue had been melted down in 1942, it was reconstructed in 1994.
*The entrance building of the former Kaiserliche Marinewerft ("emperor's shipyard"), built in the 1870s.
*The building of the former Kaiserliche Westwerft ("emperor's western shipyard"), completed in 1913.

Every year in the first days of July, the big "Weekend on the Jade" event attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors to the big port, the southern beach and the navy arsenal. Another big event takes place at the end of the sailing season at the beginning of October when two dozen large [[sailing ships]] dock in Wilhelmshaven as part of the "[[JadeWeserPort]] Cup".

==Notable people==
[[File:Eilhard Mitscherlich.jpg|thumb|140px|Drawing of [[Eilhard Mitscherlich]]]]
*[[August Friedrich Wilhelm Crome]] (1753–1833), economist and statistician; produced a [[thematic map]] of Europe
*[[Eilhard Mitscherlich]] (1794–1863) a chemist, discovered [[Isomorphism (crystallography)|crystallographic isomorphism]] in 1819.<ref>{{Cite EB1911 |wstitle= Mitscherlich, Eilhardt |volume= 18 |pages= 627-628 |short=1}}</ref>
*[[Erhard Milch]] (1892–1972), field marshal who oversaw the development of the [[Luftwaffe]]
*[[Heinz Prüfer|Ernst Paul Heinz Prüfer]] (1896–1934), Jewish mathematician
*[[Hans Hellmann]] (1903–1938), theoretical physicist; associated with the [[Hellmann–Feynman theorem]]
*[[Heinrich Seetzen]] (1906–1945), lawyer and [[Gestapo]] official; [[Holocaust]] perpetrator
*[[Adalbert von Blanc]] (1907–1976) naval officer in WWII and admiral in the West [[German Navy]].
*[[Klaus Riedel]] (1907–1944), rocket pioneer, worked on the [[V-2]] missile programme at [[Peenemünde Army Research Center|Peenemünde]]
*[[Otto von Bülow]] (1911–2006), U-boat commander in World War II, and captain in the Bundesmarine
*[[Henry Picker]] (1912–1988), lawyer, stenographer and author, co-transcribed [[Hitler's Table Talk]]
*[[Struve family#Otto Wilhelm von Struve line (3rd gen)|Wilfried Struve]] (1914–1992), scientist working in astronomy and acoustics, son of [[Georg Hermann Struve]]
*[[Hans Clarin]] (1929–2005), actor and [[voice actor]] in children's audio plays
*[[Karl Leister]] (born 1937), clarinetist with the [[Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra]]
*[[Hans-Michael Bock]] (born 1947), film historian, filmmaker, translator and writer.
*[[Rainer Fetting]] (born 1949), painter and sculptor
*[[Thomas Hengelbrock]] (born 1958), violinist, stage director and principal conductor of the [[NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchestra|NDR Symphony Orchestra]]
*[[Nico Beyer]] (born 1964), film director and producer
*[[Olaf Lies]] (born 1964), local politician (SPD)
*[[Niels Högel]] (born 1976), former nurse, serial killer, convicted of the murders of 85 people
=== Sport ===
*[[Maren Brinker]], volleyball player
*[[Kurt Doerry]] (1874–1947) track and field athlete, competed at the [[1896 Summer Olympics|1896]] & [[1900 Summer Olympics]].
*[[Helmut Reichmann]] (1941–1992), a glider pilot, thrice [[World Gliding Championships|World Gliding Champion]]
*[[Steffen Puttkammer]] (born 1988), footballer who has played over 390 games
*[[Sebastian Polter]] (born 1991), footballer who has played over 350 games
*[[Kai Pröger]] (born 1992), footballer who has played over 320 games

==Twin towns – sister cities==
{{See also|List of twin towns and sister cities in Germany}}
Wilhelmshaven is [[Sister city|twinned]] with:<ref>{{cite web |title=Wilhelmshavens Städtepartnerschaften und Städtefreundschaften |url=https://www.wilhelmshaven.de/Kultur/Staedtepartnerschaften/ |website=wilhelmshaven.de |publisher=Wilhelmshaven |language=de |access-date=2021-02-17 |archive-date=2018-06-28 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180628124907/https://www.wilhelmshaven.de/Kultur/Staedtepartnerschaften/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
*{{flagicon|FRA}} [[Vichy]], France (1965)
*{{flagicon|USA}} [[Norfolk, Virginia|Norfolk]], Virginia, United States (1976)
*{{flagicon|UK}} [[Dunfermline]], Scotland, United Kingdom (1979)
*{{flagicon|AUT}} [[Bromberg, Lower Austria|Bromberg]], Austria (1980)
*{{flagicon|POL}} [[Bydgoszcz]], Poland (2006)

==See also==
*[[Lake Bant]]

== Citations ==
{{Reflist}}

== General sources ==
*Official German list of concentration camps [https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/begdv_6/BJNR002330967.html Verzeichnis der Konzentrationslager und ihrer Außenkommandos] {{in lang|de}}
*[https://www.kz-gedenkstaette-neuengamme.de/ Camp memorial Neuengamme] {{in lang|de}}

== External links ==
* {{Cite EB1911|wstitle= Wilhelmshaven |volume= 28 | pages = 641&ndash;642  |short= 1}}
*{{Commons and category-inline}}
*{{Wikivoyage-inline}}

{{Germany districts Lower Saxony}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Wilhelmshaven| ]]
[[Category:1869 establishments in the North German Confederation]]
[[Category:German Navy]]
[[Category:Neuengamme concentration camp]]
[[Category:Populated coastal places in Germany (North Sea)]]
[[Category:Populated places established in 1869]]
[[Category:Port cities and towns in Germany]]
[[Category:Port cities and towns of the North Sea]]
[[Category:Prussian Navy]]
[[Category:Towns in Lower Saxony]]
[[Category:William I, German Emperor]]
[[Category:Urban districts of Lower Saxony]]