125th anniversary year for Hapag-Lloyd Cruises125th anniversary year for Hapag-Lloyd Cruises

In January 1891, Albert Ballin launched the first pleasure cruise on Augusta Victoria, the flagship of HAPAG (Hamburg-Amerikanische Packetfahrt-Actien-Gesellschaft), which normally spent winters laid up at anchor.

Ballin, the visionary and later general director of the shipping company, proposed sending the ship on a Mediterranean cruise during this season.

On January 22, 1891,  Augusta Victoria departed from Cuxhaven, Germany on what proved to be a resoundingly successful two-month, round-trip cruise, with a 245-strong crew 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,' says Karl J. Pojer, ceo of Hapag-Lloyd Cruises.

'Albert Ballin had a ground-breaking idea. Today, Hapag-Lloyd Cruises is a leading provider in the luxury and expedition segments in the German-speaking marketplace,' he added.

We are looking forward to a year of remembering our roots and celebrating this wonderful anniversary with lots of new ideas, Pojer commented.