Six kilometers from the Elbe River, on the edge of the Geest ridge, lies the Hanseatic city of Stade. The first port, the Hanseatic Port, was a bend in the Schwinge River leading into the old town. During the industrial age, this port became too small, so the city harbor was built directly outside the city in 1882. Since the 1980s, it has lost its appeal to cargo shipping. Today, it is primarily a marina for recreational boats and home to the historic ships "Greundiek" and "Wilhelmine von Stade."
And here, the historical flair has been preserved. This includes the winch mechanism of the slipway of the Stade shipyard, built in 1913. The shipyard built coastal vessels until its bankruptcy in 1976. Directly opposite, on the Kommandantendeich (Commander's Dike), stands a small gantry crane from 1912. The large gantry crane on the west quay, built in 1927, was slated for scrapping several times but has now been extensively restored. The gas holder, built in 1955, has also been preserved and converted into a residential building.