We had a very interesting day yesterday, we went to Ballinstadt, which is an island in the huge Hamburg Harbour on which stands a Museum, three buildings having been rebuilt in the original style. This was, from the 1850's until the whole complex was taken over by the Nazis in the early 1930's, with the exception of the time during the first World War when it was used by soldiers. Thousands of Emmigrants passed through Ballinstadt, half of them Russians, on their way to America with Hapag Lloyd, of which Company Mr Ballin was General Secretary. It was like a Clearing House, hundreds of people at a time would be medically inspected and then processed through the Halls, waiting for a passage to a new land, which was mostly America. Some, mostly Jews, came to England and settled there.
It is an excellent Museum, has only been open three or four years, but they are somewhat disappointed with the interest it has aroused, perhaps they need to advertise it a bit more as it was a good day out, with a trip round the harbour thrown in for good measure. We could not have been luckier with the weather, which was ausgezeichnet (about time you picked up a bit of German!)
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