History - Welcome point yesterday and today

Much to the pleasure of the sailors and in order to improve communication between peoples the ship welcoming station near the Ferry Station Schulau named later on "Willkomm-Höft" was opened on June 12, 1952. Nowadays, you can see in the garden of the Ferry Station Schulau a memorial for OTTO FRIEDRICH BEHNKE, the founder of "Willkomm-Höft", who was assisted by captains and sailors. This unique institution was sponsored by the "Nautische Kameradschaft HANSEA" (Hamburg nautical association).

The circum-navigator of the globe and whaler Captain Carl Kircheiß, well-known far beyond Hamburg and then chairman by seniority of the "HANSEA", christened the mast of the ship welcoming station with a bottle of rum, dipped for the first time the flag of the Hanseatic city of Hamburg and for the first time the following words resounded through the air: "Welcome to Hamburg, it is our great pleasure to welcome you in our harbour".

Twice - in February 1962 and in January 1976 - Hamburg and the Lower Elbe were ravaged by heavy storm tides. Twice the building of the ship welcoming station, the Ferry Station Schulau, was badly damaged.

In the course of the building operations after the storm tide of 1962, a new and larger mast was erected and christened once again by the so-called "Devil of the Sea", Earl Luckner with a large bottle of rum.

After the storm tide of 1976 the building was fortified. If you watch on calm days the water running peacefully down the stream, you only may imagine how high and wild the wages can be if you have a look at the barrages.