Cuxhaven is a town in Lower Saxony, Germany, with about 55,000 inhabitants. It is located on the shore of the North Sea at the mouth of the Elbe River.
Cuxhaven has a footprint of 14 km (east-west) by 7 km (north-south). It is the capital of the Cuxhaven district. It is a popular vacation spot on the North Sea.
Cuxhaven is relatively young: it became a town on March 15, 1907. For over 600 years until 1937 Cuxhaven belonged to Hamburg.
A few kilometers off the Cuxhaven coast lies the island of Neuwerk. At low tide the water recedes so far from the coast that the island can be reached either by foot or by horse carriage.
A modern landmark of Cuxhaven is the Friedrich-Clemens-Gerke Turm, a telecommunication tower built of concrete, which is not accessible to the public.
Tourism is one of the traditional businesses of Cuxhaven. The other two are the fish industry, and the harbour.
The city is trying to expand the later and has invested a lot of money in the modernization and expansion of the port facility.
Still, the economic situation isn't all too good and tourism remains the major industry of the city. Many people have left Cuxhaven in the past decades to settle elsewhere.
Many of those who remain are retired, contributing to the small, quiet town ambiance.
Cuxhaven is a quiet place. If you're looking for action and parties, it's probably not the right destination. If you're looking for a quiet city by the sea, Cuxhaven becomes a much more interesting choice.