Alte Liebe

Alte Liebe is a converted historic pier on the lower Elbe estuary that now serves as a freely accessible viewing platform at the edge of Cuxhaven's harbour. Its unusual name — 'old love' — is said to derive from a barge called Liebe that ran aground here in the 18th century and was subsequently incorporated into the jetty structure. From the platform, visitors watch ocean-going freighters and container ships navigate the deep-water channel toward the open North Sea. Nearby, excursion ferries depart for Helgoland and the sandbanks around Neuwerk, making this a natural starting point for day trips into the Wadden Sea. The platform is wheelchair-accessible and particularly atmospheric at low tide and sunset, when the horizon opens up across the full width of the Elbe mouth.