The federal government is giving 30 million euros to save historic, traditional ships!

The federal government is giving 30 million euros to save historic, traditional ships!

The federal government recently announced a strong financial boost for the preservation of historic ships in Germany. Over 23 million euros are available to support traditional ships, especially in northern Germany. Around 16 million euros of this will be needed in the 2026 financial year, with a large part of the funds intended to flow into technical security and monument-related renovation. This reports Boyen's Media.

Those who benefited from this federal funding include the lightship “Borkumriff”, the Poeler cog “Wissemara” and the sailing ship “Grönland” in Bremerhaven. The tall ship “Gorch Fock I” from Stralsund and various historic steamers and cutters can also look forward to financial support. The preservation of such maritime monuments in particular often poses financial challenges for associations and owners.

Founding of the German Maritime Heritage Foundation

A further step towards securing the maritime heritage will be taken with the establishment of the “German Maritime Heritage Foundation” (DSME) from 2026. This foundation will be endowed with a total of 30 million euros, which will be made available over a period of three years. The federal government will provide 10 million euros annually, which represents a real milestone for volunteers in traditional shipping, as the board of the Maritim Hamburg Foundation has already emphasized.

Originally, only one million euros had been budgeted for the foundation, which was set up by the Maritim Hamburg Foundation and the Federal Ministry of Transport. But thanks to the commitment of SPD member of the Bundestag Uwe Schmidt, who actively campaigned for the increase in the budget committee, the budget was increased to an impressive 30 million euros. However, the exact start of the DSME's activities has not yet been determined; Interested institutions are invited to submit funding applications as soon as the foundation begins its work.

KulturInvest: Another building block for maritime heritage

The funding comes from the budget of the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and Media (BKM) and is awarded via the “KulturInvest” process. In addition to traditional ships, funds are also planned for other cultural buildings, such as memorials and museums. This shows the Federal Government's commitment to preserving and promoting the national maritime heritage.

This initiative preserves a part of our history and helps to pass on the passion for seafaring and historic ships to future generations. The funds could make an important contribution to the long-term preservation of maritime culture in Germany, which is entirely in the spirit of a lively and diverse cultural heritage that is closely linked to the history of our coastal regions.