German line sailed its first cruise with flagship Augusta Victoria on 22 January 1891
By
Rebecca Gibson |
Hapag-Lloyd Cruises is to celebrate its 125th anniversary on 22 January 2016.
This year marks more than a century since the company’s former general director Albert Ballin first proposed that Hapag’s flagship, Augusta Victoria, should go on a Mediterranean cruise in winter 1891, rather than spending the season out of use at anchor. On 22 January 1891, Augusta Victoria departed from Cuxhaven, Germany on a ‘resoundingly successful’ two-month roundtrip cruise with 245 crew members and 174 guests from Germany, Britain and the US.
“This year we are very happy to be celebrating the significant anniversary of 125 years of passenger cruising and looking back with pride on the long history of our company,” said Karl Pojer, CEO at Hapag-Lloyd Cruises. “Albert Ballin had a groundbreaking idea and today, Hapag-Lloyd Cruises is a leading provider in the luxury and expedition segments in the German-speaking marketplace. To this day, we remain dedicated to the embodiment of this spirit of innovation and discovery when we design our cruises and seek out new paths. We are looking forward to a year of remembering our roots and celebrating this wonderful anniversary with lots of new ideas.”