 |
|||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||
 |
|||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
HistoryEstablishedin the Hamburg Stock Exchange Hall at 2.30pm on 8 January 1897
Direct reason for establishmentStrike by port workers from 20 November 1896 to 8 February 1897, with participation of 16,700 dockers and seamen
Entry in Register of Associations15. Mai 1903
Chairmen
Managing Directors
Bruno Jansen
Klaus Bültjer
Honorary position:
From 2007 - 2010 Chairman of Association “Friends of the general cargo freighter MS BLEICHEN”
Eisbeinessen
In 1948, the member companies of the Hamburg Shipbrokers' Association had every reason to celebrate. It was a special year for shipping, which had been lying idle since the end of the war – at last, the 110 shipbrokers left in Hamburg had a chance to do foreign business again. Gradually, more and more lines were resuming their operations to Hamburg. The general ban on new commissioning for vessels of all kinds was lifted in summer 1948. Permission was given to recover sunken ships up to 1500grt and to repair them. And finally, from the end of 1948, the Potsdam Treaty permitted newbuildings up to 1500grt.
What was more natural than to celebrate the arrival of the upswing with a business dinner? Bruno Jansen, Managing Director of the Hamburg Shipbrokers' Association since 1945, invited the Managing Directors of member companies to a dinner on 11 November 1948 – expensive for the conditions at the time, but it was a good meal. And the venue had an unsurpassable maritime touch – it was the M.S. “St. Louis”, moored at the Altona landing stage. The ship had been given a makeshift repair after serious bomb damage, and was now serving as a hotel and restaurant. The evening was a complete success. It brought together 110 shipbrokers, tucking into the tasty North German starter (cream of poultry soup), followed by grilled pollack steaks, and schnitzel with local Vierländer vegetables. After that successful evening, they all agreed that the meal should become a regular event.
In fact, it was a little earlier the next year, with Executive Director Bruno Jansen issuing the invitations for 29 October 1949; this time it was held in the Ratsweinkeller, and for the first time Eisbein (or alternatively Kassler) was served, with Sauerkraut, pease pudding, potatoes and bacon. This traditional tasty North German dish was chosen because by now the shortages were over and Nouvelle Cuisine was as yet unknown. That was how the world famous “Eisbeinessen” started; at the time no-one even dreamt of how the event would grow.
Bruno Jansen was the inventor and founding father of the Eisbeinessen, which is known throughout the world today.
Bruno Jansen died in Hamburg Wellingsbüttel on 25 April 2005.
He will always have a place of special honour in the memory of the Hamburg Shipbrokers´ Association.
SHIP AHOY
The “Ship Ahoy” Ball developed to become one of the high points of social life in the shipping industry. Invitations to a ball were first issued in May 1952 by the then Executive Director of the Hamburg Shipbrokers' Association Bruno Jansen – at the time it was called “Spring Festival”. The admission price was a remarkably modest DM 7.50 for gentlemen and DM 5 for ladies, and the celebrations at Hotel Atlantic went on into the small hours of the morning. A band from the British Forces Network was there to provide lively music and a good atmosphere.
The Ball was a great success, and the Board decided to make this a regular event, to be held every first Saturday in March. A fitting name was soon found, more or less inherited from the maritime neighbours. A “Ship Ahoy” Ball had been held regularly by the German Shipowners’ Association before the war, but they decided not to continue the tradition, so the Shipbrokers’ Association was able to take over the name. There was such demand for the Ball that in 1974 the Association transferred its venue to the Hamburg Congress Centrum (CCH). But “Ship Ahoy” was soon back at its traditional Hotel Atlantic venue, as participants wished to continue enjoyment of the exclusive atmosphere of the prestigious hotel, or maybe because Hamburg shipping people simply like institutions that have stood the test of time. In the eighties, however, enthusiasm for going to balls began to decline. A new generation, and in particular new trends in entertainment and diversions, led to a drop in attendance. The 1993 event was – at least for the time being – the last in the series of these stylish events where ladies and gentlemen could dance all night at the glamorous ballroom by Lake Alster.
Association founded by 44 Hamburg shipbrokers in 1897
It was not until 8 January 1897, that is shortly before the official legal approval and recognition of the profession of shipbroker, that the Association was founded by a gathering of 44 Hamburg shipbrokers. Their main motivation was the great strike of 1896/97, a conflict which had suddenly broken out after building up over the years beforehand. The Hamburg dock workers wanted to have a share in the clearly positive development of the economy. The upswing was evident to them from the constant expansions of the port, which required more and more space and often displaced traditional workers’ housing areas. In 1890 there were 30,462 dockers organised in 84 trade unions, fighting for higher wages and better working conditions. In the end, the disputes and strikes also began to involve other workers in the port, such as the bargemen, swabbers, etc., whose claims were mainly addressed to the shipping lines. The shipbrokers quickly recognised that, if they did not wish to get squeezed by these disputes, they had to speak with one voice in order to stand up for their interests and those of their principals.
The constitutive meeting was held at the Hamburg Stock Exchange Hall on 8 January 1897, starting at 2.30 pm, and elected J.A. Edye from the Rob. M. Sloman jr. company as its first Chairman. He called on members above all to observe the principle of “good faith” at all times. The Association was entered in the Hamburg Register of Associations on 15 May 1903. The amount of the dues in that year is likewise recorded – 20 marks. The very next year, the amount was raised to 40 marks, because the Hamburg Shipbrokers' Association had employed a Secretary to handle the increasing workload.
The first official act of the new Hamburg Shipbrokers' Association was to send a circular to all shipowners in Germany and abroad. That letter not only recommended the member companies as trustworthy business partners, but also informed the shipowners of the practices of certain Hamburg stevedoring companies, which had developed some dubious business practices in the preceding years, leading in some cases to vastly excessive charges. The interest of the Hamburg shipbrokers then as now was to make their port as cost-effective and efficient as possible.
In 1934 the Association’s activities were stopped by the political situation. After the war, the Hamburg Shipbrokers’ Association met again on 21 January 1947 and resolved to resume its activities. On the proposal of Arthur Röver, Bruno Jansen was appointed as Executive Director. He proved himself a master of organisation and, where necessary, of improvisation. Over the years, he worked with a total of six Chairmen: Carl Pries, Kurt Fritzel, Ernst Dreyer-Eimbcke, Rob. Miles Reincke and Oswald Dreyer-Eimbcke. Bruno Jansen is the “Inventor” of the Eisbeinessen. The first Eisbeinessen in November 1948 was attended by 110 people; by the time of the 37th Eisbeinessen, that is the last one run by Bruno Jansen in November 1982, there were 2500 participants.
After Bruno Jansen's retirement in 1982, his successor was Klaus Bültjer, a qualified lawyer and ship’s master, who became Managing Director of the Shipbrokers' Association on 1 August 1982; he has demonstrated a sure hand in handling the work of the Association, which has been characterised by enormous changes in the shipping scene. The Eisbeinessen remains an important traditional event of the Hamburg shipbrokers. The number of participants has risen to more than 4500, making the meeting the largest of its kind anywhere in the world.
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
Copyright 2006 - DIHLA-DAKOSY Interessengemeinschaft Hamburger Linienagenten GmbH |
|