The association Societät Rostock maritim e.V. was founded in 2006 to open the building of the former shipping museum of the Hanseatic City of Rostock in August-Bebel-Straße as an educational and meeting place.
The listed building was handed over to the association for use by the Hanseatic City of Rostock, as long as it does not see any possibility of redevelopment on the part of the city. On the one hand, the building will be saved from the steadily creeping decay, on the other hand, many cultural assets of the Hanseatic City of Rostock can still be shown, which otherwise would not be accessible to the public. In the building, exhibitions with fascinating ship models on the maritime location Rostock "Then and Now" are shown on about 1200 square meters.
The exhibitions are divided into about 18 sections, so that guided tours are also offered especially for school classes to accompany local history or history lessons.1On the first floor: historical information, such as the beginnings of shipping with the dugout canoe, the construction of the cogs, the beginnings of emigration by ship, steam and historical cruise shipping, ship models built in Rostock shipyards and captain's pictures: Navy, ferry shipping, Rostock ports, deep-sea fishing and dredging, bowsing and salvage shipping, modern cruise shipping as well as the Rostock "Maritime Economy - Today". Furthermore, two rooms with 160 square meters are available for regularly changing special exhibitions. These special exhibitions are often initiated in cooperation with other associations, people interested in maritime or culture. The upper floor also houses a maritime library, which is constantly being expanded from donations or bequests.
