Our history
A short chronicle of Alster shipping
Affectionately called the Alster steamer by the people of Hamburg, the "White Fleet" has long consisted of modern ships. They are as much a part of Hamburg as the Michel and the harbor. This is not only due to the long tradition of Alster shipping, but also to its popularity with Hamburgers and visitors to Hamburg.
The beginnings
Even centuries ago, barges occasionally carried passengers on the Alster. From around 1500, a considerable number of Hanseatic citizens took pleasure cruises on the Alster with music, using the so-called Alsterschüten, heavy rowing boats made of oak wood and equipped with tables and benches.
The Alster cruise began to be organized more professionally around 1800. As the number of people living around the Alster had risen sharply at this time, not only pleasure cruises were offered, but also ferry connections with rowing boats for the way to work. A good 50 years later, the first regular steamboat service was established on the Alster - but the paddle steamer "Stadt Mülheim" sprung a leak in 1857 while crossing from the Rhine to the Elbe, and so the idea sank into the waters of the Elbe.
It was not until June 15, 1859 that the screw steamer "Alina", owned by Hamburg shipbroker Johann Peter Parrau, cast off, heralding the 165-year history of Alster shipping. The small steamer started with a regular service to Mühlenkamp and Eppendorf.
The trip cost 3 and 4 shillings respectively, so that almost everyone could afford the luxury of this reliable transport connection.
The first transport association
In 1860, Parraus joined forces with other providers to form a transport association with coordinated timetables and a uniform fare system. In addition to Hamburg residents from all classes and walks of life, "celebrities" also came on board: a showpiece ship was even built for Kaiser Wilhelm II, modeled on Lohengrin's swan. The Emperor sailed across the Alster on October 29, 1888, when he ceremoniously opened the free port of the Hanseatic city.
In the following years, the businessman Otto Wichmann was the sole owner of the entire Alster fleet and fought a tough price war with the competition, the horse-drawn streetcars. In its heyday, more than 30 steamers operated as public transport on the Alster. The ships were painted white in 1902 - the year the "White Fleet" was born.
In 1911, the Alster steamers carried almost 11 million passengers every 30 minutes - even at night. In the years before the First World War, Alster steamers of a new type, so-called smooth-deckers with a continuous stern, increasingly took over this task. They plied the Alster until 1917, when a shortage of coal caused the boilers to be shut down.
The Hochbahn takes over
After the end of the war, Alsterschifffahrt became the property of Hamburger Hochbahn AG in 1919, which leased Alsterschifffahrt to the bowser company Lütgens & Reimers during the period of inflation. Alster shipping resumed operations in 1924. In 1924, Alster shipping started with a new timetable. In addition to 14 overhauled ships from the old fleet, launches from the port were used, which were inexpensive and flexible to operate.
In February 1935, the year in which HOCHBAHN took over the operation of Alster shipping again, the first of ten new motor vessels was christened. With the beginning of the Second World War, Alster shipping largely came to a standstill. The Alster steamers were "hidden" in the canals or stationed as reserve ships on the Elbe. Nevertheless, some of them were hit by bombs and destroyed. From the summer of 1946, the first ships were back in service, initially for members of the occupying forces.
"The Alster ships are a symbol of peace", with this statement by First Mayor Max Brauer, the Alster ships also resumed their regular service for the Germans on November 25, 1946. Around 3.4 million passengers used the service in the 1950s. However, the Alster steamers were no longer able to match the passenger numbers of their heyday - the subway, streetcars and buses took passengers to their destinations more quickly. On the other hand, tourist use of the Alster boats increased steadily.
Back in safe waters
When scheduled shipping became increasingly loss-making in the 1970s, the Hochbahn spun off Alster shipping from the Hochbahn operations. With the founding of ATG Alster-Touristik GmbH on April 27, 1977, the program was focused almost exclusively on trips of interest to tourists. Canal and canal cruises, twilight cruises, Vierlande cruises and ship charters became increasingly important. Due to the financial deficit of DM 1.3 million in the previous year, the Hamburg Senate decided on February 7, 1984 to discontinue liner shipping completely.
This prompted the Volksfürsorge Insurance Group (today: Generali Versicherungen) to become a sponsor of the new concept. Thanks in part to their commitment, the Alster cruise has been preserved for the city of Hamburg and its guests to this day. Another important step for its continued existence was that ATG Alster-Touristik GmbH acquired all the ships, facilities and moorings from the parent company HOCHBAHN in 1987. With a modern fleet, including the "Goldbek", which had been converted into an exclusive saloon ship, the company embarked on a successful course into the future.
Fleet expansion begins
In the 90s, the flatboats "Schleusenwärter", "Quarteerslüüd" and "Alsterschipper" and, for the first time, two convertibles were put into service.
Course towards modernity
In 2000, the world's largest solar catamaran at the time, the "Alstersonne", was launched.
In 2002, ATG Alster-Touristik GmbH celebrated its 25th anniversary with modern and attractive ships. It did so with a large exhibition on the history of Alster shipping, fireworks on the Binnenalster and the publication of the book "Alsterschifffahrt - Hamburger Sehenswürdigkeit auf dem Wasser" (Alster shipping - Hamburg's sights on the water).
The ATG continued to strengthen the fleet in 2003 with the "Fleetenkieker", another flatboat, and in 2004 with the restoration of the last launch on the Alster, the "Aue". The floating cultural monument was built in 1926 and still occasionally sails on historical round trips.
In the fall of 2004, work began on the redesign of the Jungfernstieg. The ATG moved into its new operations building, the "Bastion" at the Jungfernstieg landing stage, with the inauguration ceremony in May 2006. In the same year, the new Alster Swan was added to the fleet and became the first Alster steamer to be licensed as a port vessel.
The EILBEK, which dates back to the 1950s, is currently being refurbished and is due to return to the Alster this year with electric propulsion. Alongside the ALSTERSONNE and the ALSTERWASSER, it will be the third ship in the fleet with emission-free propulsion. At the same time, Alster-Touristik is gaining extensive experience with the conversion of one of its traditional steamers. These findings will point the way for the coming years and projects in the area of decarbonizing the historic fleet.
