The eastern area of the later shipyard site had already been used for industrial purposes since 1877, when Johann Baptist Malang founded a "cement factory" and "cement trade" there. In 1893,
these passed to his son Franz Xaver Malang and were closed in 1908. Johann Baptist Malang also ran a small brickyard between 1893 and 1898 and from 1904 a plasterer's and stuccoer's workshop,
which existed until 1921.
Various plans between 1892/93 and 1901 show other buildings besides the actual factory. A small harbour basin on the eastern border of the site already existed, which was leased to the
Bodan shipyard from 1922 on. In addition, there was a residential building built along the shore with stables, sheds, coal and wagon shed, which after the end of the cement factory was
first used as a workshop and residential building, and then - expanded several times - to house the shipyard's office. All other buildings of the cement factory were demolished until
the 1930s.
enlarge
1901
Site plan of the building application of the cement factory Malang of October 15th, 1901 The elongated building at the lakeside later housed the office of the Bodan shipyard.
Shortly after the First World War, three men realized their ideas of building boats on Lake Constance: The merchant Hermann Stachelhaus, the physician Dr. Friedrich Kiefer -
both from Mannheim - and the engineer Fritz Würmell from Ludwigshafen / Rhine. Each of the three partners contributed 10,000 Marks to the company, the share capital
thus amounted to 30,000 Marks.
After they had found a suitable property between Friedrichshafen and Lindau in Kressbronn a. B., a partnership agreement was drawn up on 9 August 1919 and
notarized on 2 September 1919: The "Bodan" Motoren- und Schiffbaugesellschaft m. b. H. in Kressbronn a. B. on Lake Constance was founded.
Eyewitness interview with Mrs. Erika-Ilse Kübler (née Kempf, daughter of Director Kempf)
Business graduate
"The beginnings of the shipyard. Employment of the father as a technical director."
enlarge
enlarge
enlarge
enlarge
1919
The articles of association of the newly founded company.
The young company first started out by repairing fishing and sailing boats. At the same time the yard took over the representation of the company "Benz & Cie. Rheinische Gasmotorenfabrik in Mannheim"
(later Motorenwerke Mannheim AG) for Switzerland and the Lake Constance region. From 1920 onwards, the construction of motor boats for Lake Constance fishing and excursion and sports boats
for wealthy private individuals was started. A special type of motorboat was in great demand among fishermen on Lake Constance and was sold between 300 and 400 times. Older fishing boats
were now also retrofitted with motors, and here the partnership with the Mannheim-based company proved to be particularly fruitful. Around 1925 the construction of the boats was changed
from wood to steel.
enlarge
1920
Fishing boat in front of the carpenter's workshop.
Kübler Collection, Stuttgart.
enlarge
1920s
fishing family Rau, today this is the eastern harbour of the Bodan shipyard.
Gemeindearchiv Kressbronn a. B., K-FP-NL Näher 2.
enlarge
Around 1920
motorboat Surotma for Mr Eisenlohr in Reutlingen.
Kübler Collection, Stuttgart.
enlarge
1920
Complete propulsion system for the motorization of small boats, consisting of a single-cylinder petrol engine with 4 hp, control stand, drive shaft and propeller, mounted on a common frame.
Found material joinery Bodan shipyard, Kressbronn a. B.
enlarge
1925
private motorboat Lorle.
Kübler Collection, Stuttgart.
enlarge
1925
Racing boats were also built at the Bodan shipyard. The photo shows a boat for Maybach from the year 1925, which was equipped with a 500 HP engine and was 78 km/h fast.
Data sheet of the Bodan shipyard, Reimann Collection, Arth (CH).
From the middle of the twenties the first Bodan passenger ships were planned and built: The MS Stadt Radolfzell and the MS Höri for the Deutsche Reichsbahn, the MS Konstanz for
the motorboat operation of the municiple works Constance, but they gave the ship to the Swiss Steamboat Society Untersee and Rhine in 1925. It's still in service today.
For the still young company, the step from building small boats to the considerably larger passenger ships represented a remarkable development.
enlarge
1925
In 1925 the Bodan shipyard delivered the motor ship Konstanz. It had originally been ordered for the motorboat service of the city of Constance, but was then transferred to the steam boat company
Untersee and Rhine. The ship is also noted on the books of the Regensburg branch of the Hitzler shipyard as model no. 13 - with the annotations: Orderer Bodan shipyard, dismantled, loaded,
assembled at Lake Constance. Obviously, Bodan shipyard acted as a contractual partner, but in its early days it worked closely together with Hitzler shipyard as a subcontractor.
Essential parts not only of this ship were thus prefabricated in Regensburg.
Kübler Collection, Stuttgart.
Building large ships „on site“ at Lake Constance
The Bodan shipyard was the only shipyard on Lake Constance that was able to build new ships „on site“ - in contrast to other shipyards such as
Escher Wyss & Cie. or Deggendorfer Werft und Eisenbau GmbH.
In shipbuilding on Lake Constance, it had been customary since the Middle Ages to set up a temporary shipyard on a suitable shore, the so-called Schiffmacherplatz. The same procedure
was still followed when the first steamers were built. Then in the 19th century the first repair yards were built. Their slipways were later also used by external suppliers for
the final assembly. For them, however, the delivery of new ships to Lake Constance always involved the laborious transport of the ships after pre-assembly. Here the local Bodan
shipyard had a location advantage.
After the First World War, which was followed by hyperinflation that paralysed the German economy, the demand for new ships for Lake Constance rose again significantly towards the mid-1920s.
On the one hand, the existing fleet was largely outdated and hardly any technical maintenance was carried out during the years of war and afterwards. In addition, the steamships with their
passenger compartments, some of which were located below deck, and their outdated furnishings were less and less able to meet the increased tourist demands. And thirdly, the diesel engine
had in the meantime replaced the steam engine as ship propulsion.
enlarge
After 1925
the company sign of the Bodan shipyard.
Reimann Collection, Arth (CH).
enlarge
1926
The first new motor ship of the Deutsche Reichsbahn on Lake Constance: MS Stadt Radolfzell.
Hunziker Collection, Lucerne.
enlarge
1926
The first new motor ship of the Deutsche Reichsbahn in the production hall: MS Stadt Radolfzell.
Hunziker Collection, Lucerne.
enlarge
1926
MS Stadt Radolfzell for the Deutsche Reichsbahn, on the right MS Konstanz for the motorboat service of the city of Konstanz.
Collection Robert Dittmann, Kressbronn a. B. (Bildarchiv Bodan-Werft, F 2260).
The Bodan shipyard was the only shipyard located on Lake Constance where the construction of larger steel ships was possible in principle. The still young company used this opportunity,
although the transition from smaller wooden boats to constructions with steel hulls was a very courageous step. The yard, which had no significant experience in building such ships,
therefore recruited shipbuilders and other skilled workers. The Bodan shipyard was also dependent on cooperation with other companies. The first orders for larger ships were partly
subcontracted, for example to the Hitzler shipyard in Regensburg for the production of hulls and superstructures. This is proven by the shipyard lists, in which several orders
for the Bodan shipyard are documented.
The Deutsche Reichsbahn, which at that time also operated Lake Constance shipping, as well as the city of Constance with its local passenger transport and its new car ferry to Meersburg,
became important customers. The Bodan shipyard built the first larger steel ships for them. For the young company this was a huge step forward. However, the yard managed to acquire the
necessary expertise in a relatively short period of time. On Lake Constance today, the vast majority of passenger ships and ferries come from the Bodan shipyard.
enlarge
1928
The first inland sea car ferry in Europe from Constance-Staad to Meersburg started its service in 1928. It also bears the name Constance.
Kübler Collection, Stuttgart.
enlarge
1929
Train ferry Schussen.
Private collection Berthold Luick, Constance.
enlarge
1932
fitters off MS Jura (BDG, Lake Biel).
Collection Fuchs Kressbronn a. B.
enlarge
1932
The MS Jura was put into service a little later, on 18 October 1932, on Lake Biel.
Reimann Collection, Arth (CH).
enlarge
1934
carnival floats of the Bodan shipyard in the 1930s.
Collection Fuchs, Kressbronn a. B.
enlarge
1936
Director Otto Kempf at his desk in 1936.
Kübler Collection, Stuttgart.
Eyewitness interview with director Otto Kempf
Born on 19 February 1887 in Ludwigshafen on Lake Constance
Died on 10 January 1973 in Kressbronn
Managing Director 1920-1958
Recorded by Süddeutscher Rundfunk, broadcast on 17.04.1957, SDR Stuttgart.
Freight traffic
In addition to passenger shipping, the transport of goods across Lake Constance was still very important at that time. Several rail freight cars could be transported across
the lake on ships whose decks were fitted with rails.
The Reichsbahn modernised its train ferry (transport of rail freight cars) between Friedrichshafen and Romanshorn and ordered a corresponding ship from the Bodan shipyard.
In 1929 the Bodan shipyard handed over its first motor trajectory ship to the Deutsche Reichsbahn with the Schussen, which was in service until 1983.
However, car traffic also gained in importance: in the late 1920s, the city of Constance launched the first European inland sea car ferry service, the important ferry connection
between Constance and Meersburg. The first ferry was delivered by the Bodan shipyard and until the year 2010 eleven more ferries should follow for this route alone.
For the yard, the trend was thus clearly noticeable towards larger ships. After the construction of the first triple-deck ship MS Baden in 1934/35, the shipyard area also had
to be adapted to the new requirements. The time of the transverse slipway located next to slipway 1 had expired. In its place a much larger slipway hall was built.
West of the newly built Hall 2 there was also a larger area which the Bodan shipyard wanted to secure in view of future extensions. In the thirties, the so-called secondary
shipyard site was included in an internal development plan for the shipyard. This should enable the yard to expand at a later date. At that time there were still plans for
various canal projects to connect Lake Constance to the Danube or to make the Rhine navigable throughout. The so-called "Neckar-Donau Kanal" was to cross the Swabian Alb by
means of numerous barrages in order to meet the Danube in Ulm. Another canal, the so-called "Donau-Bodensee-Kanal" was to lead from Ulm via Biberach, Aulendorf and Ravensburg
to Friedrichshafen. There was also the project of the so-called "Hochrheinregulierung", i.e. making the Rhine navigable between Basel and Schaffhausen. Some of these plans
existed until the eighties. If these canal construction projects had been realized, Lake Constance would have become accessible for freight shipping and the lake would have
changed its face drastically.
This would have made the Bodan shipyard accessible to distant customers by water. Costly pre-assembly with subsequent dismantling - or the later used construction of sections
and transport to the destination for final assembly - would no longer have been necessary.
enlarge
1929
The brand new motor train ferry Schussen in the east harbour of the Bodan shipyard.
Reimann Collection, Arth (CH).
enlarge
1929
Train ferry Schussen.
Berthold Luick Collection, Constance.
enlarge
enlarge
1934
drawing of Hall 2.
Wirtschaftsarchiv Baden-Württemberg, Stuttgart, inventory Y 21 Bodan-Werft, Kressbronn a. B, No. 86.
Before the Second World War, there were only litter meadows and wasteland on the bank section west of the large hall 2. Although the Bodan shipyard already had the site
in mind for expansions at the end of the 1930s, these plans were put on hold after the beginning of the Second World War.
Otto Kempf, director since 1920 and meanwhile also shareholder of the shipyard, bought the site in 1941 in his name and that of his wife. This was done for reasons of camouflage;
the funds required for the purchase of the land were provided by the Army High Command and the Navy High Command. The Bodan shipyard had already been trying to get orders from the
German Armed Forces since the mid-thirties. As early as 1936/37, six transport boats were built for the Army High Command, which were delivered to the Engineers Battalion 33 in
Mannheim, amongst others. On January 20, 1942, the Kempf couple concluded a contract with a representative of the High Command of the Navy. In it, the Navy undertook to construct
a large port facility with a breakwater, a 35-tonne loading crane and an approximately 1.8 km long railway siding from the shipyard to the railway station.
In addition, a repair hall with a runway for boats damaged at the front and various barracks were built, although this was only partially completed due to the war. The first construction
work on the port facility had already begun on 1 October 1941. Work on the siding began at the end of 1942 and was originally planned to be completed by May 1943.
Director Kempf increasingly came into conflict with the other shareholders of the yard as they were not adequately informed about certain developments for reasons of confidentiality.
In addition, part of the newly built repair hall was located on the original shipyard site. Above all, however, the shareholders were threatened with expropriation, as the military
intended to gain complete control of the company in order to ensure smooth production processes and the greatest possible secrecy.
enlarge
c. 1942
Photograph from the war years. The crane has already been erected, but strangely enough there is still nothing visible to the left of the repair hall.
Instead of the goods shed there is an unknown two-storey barrack on the right-hand side of the picture.
Community archive Kressbronn a. B., unlisted.
Construction of pioneer landing crafts
In addition to other German shipyards, the Bodan shipyard had also been entrusted with the development, construction and repair of pioneer landing crafts of types 39, 40, 41, 43 and 45 to
varying degrees since 1940. The boats were divisible lengthwise - sometimes also crosswise - and could therefore also be transported by rail. In the area of today's Bodanstraße/Brühlstraße
there was also a camp for the soldiers of a pioneer training boat company who were trained on the boats.
The first military deployment of pioneer landing crafts took place from May 1941 on the North African coast when freighters carrying troops and supplies for the German Africa corps were unloaded.
These boats would also have been needed for the plans for an invasion of England ("Operation Sea Lion"), which had been worked out on Hitler's instructions. Pioneer landing crafts were also used
on all European coastal areas where the German Armed Forces needed ferries, such as the Black Sea, the Mediterranean, Norway, France and the Baltic Sea.
In the last months of the Second World War, the boats were also important means of transport in the Baltic Sea during the retreat before the advancing Red Army. In memory of the so-called
"Hannibal Company", the pioneer landing craft type 41 number 534 has been erected as a memorial on the grounds of a youth meeting place near the Oberschleißheim airfield. This boat was also
built by the Bodan shipyard. It may well be the last remaining German pioneer landing craft in existence.
While the construction of the pioneer landing craft was under the command of the Army High Command, tests were simultaneously carried out on behalf of the Navy High Command to test
sounding and sounding locating systems which were intended for the German submarines to take bearings on enemy ships. The MS Ravensburg was used for the experiments until August 18,
1942, and between July 22, 1941 and the end of the war the MS Schwaben was used. The experiments were carried out in the bay of Thunau between Langenargen and Kressbronn a. B. During
these trials, two jetties were also built, one at the shipyard and one near the town of Thunau. For Thunau, the establishment of a laboratory building is also mentioned in this context.
Further details are not yet known.
enlarge
Loading of a pioneer landing craft 39 in the port of Naples for use in North Africa, June 1941.
Trtanj Collection, Kressbronn a. B.
enlarge
Wirtschaftsarchiv Baden-Württemberg, Stuttgart, Y21 Bü L-Boote 43/45.
enlarge
Landing crafts on the beach, Amalfi Coast summer 1941.
Trtanj Collection, Kressbronn a. B.
Eyewitness interview with Mrs. Erika-Ilse Kübler (née Kempf, daughter of Director Kempf)
Business graduate
"Wehrmacht contracts during World War II. The building of pioneer landing craft."
Forced Labor
Defence production increased the need for labour in the ship yard. The number of employees rose to 144 in 1943 compared to 104 in 1936. From 1943 onwards, prisoners of war were
also used in the Bodan shipyard. Initially, Serbian prisoners of war worked on the shipyard site, who were replaced by Russian prisoners of war by June 1943 at the latest. A
wooden barrack for the prisoners was demonstrably located on the western shipyard site between Hall 2 and the repair hall.
The shipyard survived the Second World War without damage from air raids. At the end of the war Kressbronn a. B. was occupied by French troops. Under French occupation, armaments
production and military experiments were initially continued. MS Schwaben was even equipped with new measurement technology for further underwater sound measurements. Also some
pioneer landing crafts, which had been in the shipyard when the French invaded at the end of April 1945, were put into service for the French occupying forces in September 1946.
The subsequent post-war years were also difficult for the yard. A note on the construction of 50 fishing boats indirectly points to the precarious supply situation. Whether it was
food or firewood, the employees lacked the most everyday things. On top the French also dismantled some of the technical installations on the yard as reparations. This included the
35 t crane, various tools and machines as well as part of the siding were affected. The dismantling of the important railway siding was finally prevented. In addition to the
shipyard management and the local administration, a timber construction company, located in a barrack on the ship yard, which had to deliver parts for pre-fabricated houses to
France had also lobbied the French occupying power for the preservation of the building.
enlarge
1948 - 1951
This photo shows that construction of Hall 3 began during the war , but was only partially completed. On this picture the overhead crane has already been dismantled, so the photo
can be dated to a summer between 1948 and 1951. Still visible is the camouflage colour from the war years to cover the light concrete surfaces of the crane girders.
Interview Walter Rau (replayed)
Text by Kornelius Rau from the Kressbronn Yearbook 1985, revised by his son Walter Rau on 26.05.2018.
"Demolition of Giessen Bridge and invasion of French occupation forces."
You have to learn to drive a speedboat...
During their invasion, French forces had destroyed the racing boat of the famous German racing driver Hans Stuck in the harbour of the nearby town of Bregenz. Between 1937 – 39 Hans
Stuck set several speed records in his 5.80-meter-long racing boat, reaching up to 51.26 mph. The engine of the boat was originally developed for car racing, where Stuck had already
made a name for himself as a racing driver. The 5.5 litre engine of an Auto Union Grand Prix formula car produced about 500 hp at 4000 rpm. This power was translated with a gearbox
from the Hurth company and thus a propeller speed of approx. 7200 rpm was achieved during the record runs. The steering of the boat was also taken over from a Grand Prix formular
car to steer the two oars of the boat with it.
Stuck was arrested and brought together with the wreck to the Bodan shipyard, where the boat was rebuilt. Stuck had to get the 500 hp 16 cylinder Auto Union racing engine running again,
which was successful. However, he was not allowed to do the test run. Instead, a French lieutenant claimed the boat. Inexperienced with the strong engine he levered the boat out on a
wave. It floated keel up and slowly sank into the lake. The French officer was later recovered from the water with a broken neck.
enlarge
1939
Hans Stuck in his racing boat during a record trip on Lake Scharmützel near Berlin, 1939 Photo: Heinrich Hoffmann - ullstein bild
The Bodan shipyard remained under the control of the French military until summer 1948. At the beginning of the fifties the Bodan shipyard left the uncertain years of the occupation behind.
The railway siding, initially intended for dismantling by the French occupying troops, was purchased by the Bodan shipyard by a resolution of the shareholders' meeting in 1950. In the same
year, the Kempf couple transferred the ancillary shipyard site to the shipyard by contract. The crane was also restored. This laid the foundations for a new beginning. Relations with the
French military also began to pay off. As the Bodan shipyard already had experience in building police and customs boats from the pre-war period, between 1951 and 1954, vedettes
(river police boats) of various sizes were built and delivered to France. In 1955, the shipyard also produced speedboats for Czechoslovakia – during the Cold War this business had
to be handled via Switzerland.
enlarge
1940
The police boat 1 was built for the Koblenz Waterways Directorate. Over the decades hardly changed and still equipped with its original engine, it is used today as a classic
private excursion boat in Austria.
Kübler Collection, Stuttgart.
enlarge
1940
Technical drawing Bodan shipyard.
enlarge
1951 – 1954
Small vedettes for the French occupying forces.
Reimann Collection, Arth (CH).
enlarge
1951 – 1954
Medium-sized Vedettes for the French occupying forces.
Reimann Collection, Arth (CH).
enlarge
1951 – 1954
Large vedettes for the French occupying forces.
Reimann Collection, Arth (CH).
Passenger ships and ferries
The construction of new passenger ships and ferries for Lake Constance - including MS Friedrichshafen (1952), MF Thurgau (1954), MS Säntis (1956), MF Hegau (1957), MS Stein am Rhein
(1957), MS Lindau ex Grünten (1958), MTr Romanshorn (1958) - also gained momentum again in the 1950s. In addition, the breakthrough has now been achieved on the Swiss market. Bodan
ships still sail on Lake Biel, Lake Brienz, Lake Geneva, Lake Greifen, Lake Lugano, Lake Neuchâtel, Lake Thun, Lake Zug and Lake Zurich. It all began in 1952 with the Linth, the
first three-deck motor ship for Lake Zurich. The ship, for whose interior design the well-known Swiss architect William Dunkel was responsible, already corresponded stylistically
to the fifties, but was still oriented constructively but conspicuously on the Lake Constance motor ship Schwaben from 1937.
Eyewitness interview with Mrs. Erika-Ilse Kübler (née Kempf, daughter of Director Kempf)
Business graduate
"Orders for Swiss lakes from the 1950s."
Eyewitness interview with Mrs. Erika-Ilse Kübler (née Kempf, daughter of director Kempf)
Business graduate
"Commissioned MS Ville de Morat in 1955 for Lake Neuchâtel, Switzerland."
enlarge
1952
Launched MS Linth on Lake Zurich.
Private collection August Fuchs, Kressbronn a. B.
enlarge
ca. 1951
Erhard Schell, painter.
Collection Schell, Kressbronn a. B.
enlarge
enlarge
1953
The so-called "class of birds of prey" consisted of the MS Adler (eagle), Falke (falcon), Habicht (hawk) and Sperber (sparrowhawk) and was put into service for the DB in 1953. In 1957 MS Milan was added.
A major order for the German Federal Armed Forces
The construction of the so-called Bodan ferry for the German Federal Armed Forces represented a significant major order. An initial request from the Federal Ministry of Defence was sent
to nine shipyards in 1958. The Bodan shipyard finally won the contract and built the ferries between 1962 and 197. The special features of these vessels were their impressive manoeuvring
characteristics and the dismantling of the individual pontoons, which made it possible to load and transport them by road and rail. In addition, several pontoons coupled together could be
used to form ferries of varying lengths, including floating bridges.
enlarge
1965 oder 1966
The Bodan ferry could be used to ferry troops and material, but the single ferries could also be coupled together, thus creating a floating river bridge. Due to its good manoeuvring
characteristics as well as its simple and robust construction this ferry was very popular with the troops
Photo: Dörich Collection, Kressbronn a. B.
Deliveries abroad
The shipyard also delivered its products beyond Europe, such as a tugboat for the Suez Canal in 1957 or several push boats for the Congo River from 1977 onwards, and in 1968 the
German Ministry of Defence also approved the delivery of 10-tonne patrol boats to Iraq.
enlarge
1955
Hydrofoil.
Luick Collection, Constance.
enlarge
1955
Speedboats for Czechoslovakia. Processing via an undercover organization in Switzerland.
Reimann Collection, Arth (CH).
enlarge
1957
Tug boat for Port Said, Suez Canal.
Göppinger Collection, Kressbronn a. B.
Eyewitness interview with Mrs. Erika-Ilse Kübler (née Kempf, daughter of Director Kempf)
Business graduate
"The building of ten speedboats for Czechoslovakia in 1955."
Living and working in the shipyard
enlarge
1956
First working day of Franz Kutschera on 03.09.1956.
enlarge
1956
Franz Kutschera, on the left of the administration building, on the right is the carpentry workshop, in the background you can see the southern assembly and Hall 1.
Collection Kutschera, Kressbronn a. B.
Eyewitness interview with Mr Franz-Robert Kutschera
(Interview from DVD "Kressbronner Zeitzeugen")
Doorman
"The purchase of a new uniform to enter the service in 1956."
enlarge
1958
Franz Kutschera (right) and colleagues.
Collection Kutschera, Kressbronn a. B.
enlarge
1958
Franz Kutschera (right) and colleagues on the beach of the shipyard.
Collection Kutschera, Kressbronn a. B.
enlarge
1960s
Commercial and technical staff at the launch.
Collection Josef Marzini, Kressbronn a. B.
Eyewitness interview with Mr. Waldemar Dörich
Electrician, master electrician, constructing electrical engineering, electronics and control systems
"Improvisation skills on Lake Zurich in the 1950s."
Eyewitness interview with Mr. Hans Schönegg
Shipbuilder and calculator
"The launch parties at the Bodan shipyard."
Eyewitness interview with Mr Franz-Robert Kutschera
Doorman
"250 employees in 1956. Increase in foreign workers."
Eyewitness interview with Mr. Ivan Trtanj
Ship smith
"Employment at Bodan shipyard on 23 October 1968, work commenced 24 October."
The tragic accident on 18 November 1961
The Bodan shipyard experienced its saddest day on November 18, 1961, when a deflagration occurred in the early afternoon in the engine room of the Lake Constance ship Munich,
which was under construction in Hall 2. A highly flammable soundproofing, which was sprayed on, had been ignited by a spark, and four shipyard workers lost their lives.
enlarge
1961
The covered Hall 2 with the MS Munich inside.
Private collection Waldemar Dörich, Kressbronn a. B.
enlarge
1961
Extinguishing work after the explosion in Hall 2.
Photo: Dörich Collection, Kressbronn a. B.
Eyewitness interview with Mr. Waldemar Dörich
Electrician, master electrician, designer electrical engineering, electronics and control systems
"The explosion of the passenger ship Munich on November 18, 1961: Observing the explosion from a distance."
Eyewitness interview with Mr. Waldemar Dörich
Electrician, master electrician, designer electrical engineering, electronics and control systems
"The explosion of the passenger ship Munich on November 18, 1961: The investigation of the cause."
Diversification, the search for new markets and the creeping decline
In the course of the 1960s, the shipyard was able to acquire numerous new customers, such as the Zürichsee ferry Horgen-Meilen AG, which ordered a total of five car ferries from
1969 onwards. In the seventies, however, the award of major new construction contracts declined noticeably. The changeover from steam to motor shipping for the German and Swiss
shipping companies was totally completed, and the greatest demand for passenger ships was met. As ships are basically extremely durable products which, if well maintained,
can sometimes reach an age of 150 years or more, the market was saturated.
In the following decades, the Bodan shipyard increasingly concentrated on related niches beyond shipbuilding: they took over carpentry and timber construction work, built wind
tunnels and paint tanks for the automobile industry, and entered the leisure shipping industry with the conversion of the shipyard harbour and the construction of the yachts
Miranda Feria and Miranda Coupé. In 1981 there were plans for a fundamental redevelopment of the western shipyard area with holiday apartments, but wasn’t realised. Instead,
the construction of stainless steel swimming pools was added at the end of the eighties, which proved to be lucrative. The last newly built ships of the Bodan shipyard were
the MS Sonnenkönigin (2008), designed for events, and the car ferry Lodi (2010), which operates between Meersburg and Constance. These ships mark the end point in the remarkable
final development of shipbuilding in the almost one hundred year history of the shipyard.
Eyewitness interview with Mr. Josef Marzini
Merchant, authorized signatory
"Diversification: Numerous additional activities to bridge the lack of orders in the shipbuilding sector."
Special vessels
With the decline in demand for large passenger ships since the 1970s, public contracts have gained in importance. Fire brigade, DLRG (German Life Saving Association) and various
authorities remained important customers for the shipyard. In addition, there were custom-made products, including unique in-house developments, such as the "Lake plant catcher”
lake goat, also known as "Lake Cow” built by the Bodan shipyard in 1978. It is still used today to keep harbour entrances and bathing areas in Lake Constance free of water plants.
In particularly warm summer months, Lake Constance is characterised by a strong growth of pondweed ("seaweed"), which can have a negative impact on leisure navigation and bathing.
In search of new markets and sales opportunities, the Bodan shipyard even took on orders for remote destinations in Africa in the eighties. The shipyard delivered ships for timber
transport on the Congo to what was then Zaire, and the Catholic mission Mbita (Kenya) received a motorboat for Lake Victoria in 1983.
enlarge
1971
Employees in the construction of the Bodan ferries. On the left Ivan Trtanj, on the right Sarvak Ferenc.
Reimann Collection, Arth (CH).
enlarge
1976
Tugboat Mustang for the Mainz Waterways Directorate.
Langer Collection, Kressbronn a. B.
enlarge
1978
The "Lakeplant-Catcher" lake goat, called "Lake cow" from 1978 was an own development of the Bodan shipyard.
Arnold Collection, Friedrichshafen.
enlarge
1982
Fire brigade’s oil catcher boat.
Arnold Collection, Friedrichshafen.
Eyewitness interview with Mr. Hans Schönegg
Shipbuilder and calculator
"Modernizations: Beginning work with computers in the technical office in the 1980s, purchase of a burning engine in the 1990s."
enlarge
enlarge
enlarge
1983
Motorboat Nyasaye Erokamano for the Catholic Mission Mbita at Lake Victoria, East Africa. Picture left: Found material carpentry Bodan shipyard.
Picture centre and right: Joseph Bhwana Collection, Musoma/Tanzania.
enlarge
enlarge
1985
Push boats for the company Danzer for timber transport on the Congo River in the former Zaire.
Arnold Collection, Friedrichshafen.
enlarge
enlarge
enlarge
around 1986
Motorboats for DLRG (German Life Saving Association) and fire brigade.
Trapp Collection, Kressbronn a. B.
Difficult times
The economic pressure on shipyard operations became increasingly intense in the 1980s. A hoped-for, but missing major order for a new passenger ship eventually leads to redundancies.
The workforce, which in the yard's most successful years was about 400 employees, is reduced to 100. German reunification and the opening of Eastern Europe changed the market environment
once again in the nineties.
On the one hand, the shipyard now used shipyard sites in the east to purchase components, while on the other hand it came under cost pressure itself due to the new competition.
Finally, there is a lack of capital for the expansion and modernisation of the yard and technical installations. During the construction of the last large passenger ship, the MS
Sonnenkönigin 2008-2009, the capacities of the shipyard hall and the shipyard harbour in front of it were literally used down to the last centimetre.
Eyewitness interview with Mr Siegfried Kramer
Managing Director 1920-1958
"The personnel development in the shipyard: 400 persons during the construction of the Bodan ferry for the German Armed Forces, wave of layoffs in 1988 and reduction to 100 persons"
Eyewitness interview with Mr Siegfried Kramer
Managing Director 1920-1958
"1988: The lost newbuilding contract for MS Graf Zeppelin and the dismissal of employees."
Eyewitness interview with Mr Siegfried Kramer
Managing Director 1920-1958
"Increasing cost pressure. From the beginning of the 1990s, parts were purchased from shipyards in eastern Germany, the Czech Republic and Poland."
Eyewitness interview with Mr Franz-Robert Kutschera
Doorman
"The loss of the porter's job after retirement in 1993."
enlarge
enlarge
enlarge
2008
The front part of the MS Sonnenkönigin has already been pushed out of the hall a bit to be able to attach the stern. Improvisation skills were also required for the remaining work in the shipyard harbour.
Langer Collection, Kressbronn a. B. Singer Collection, Kressbronn a. B.
In the last years of its existence, the yard endeavoured to cooperate more closely with the shipping companies on Lake Constance. A central shipyard location on Lake Constance
for the maintenance and new construction of ships was of great importance to them. Considerations of a participation of the city of Constance in the shipyard had existed since
the beginning of the car ferry service across Lake Constance, but had never been implemented. The idea of a single "central shipyard" to save the economically ailing company
and to preserve the shipyard location finally fell apart in 2010, and insolvency was applied for the "design office" and "shipyard" divisions. As the entire company had
previously been split up, the areas "stainless steel swimming pool construction" and "leisure shipping marina" were not affected.
enlarge
2016
View of Hall 1 before reconstruction.
Photo Albert Stöckle, Kressbronn a. B.
Eyewitness interview with Mr. Robert Dittmann
Managing director and shareholder of Bodan shipyard from 2005
"The development of shipyard cooperation and the subsequent use of the existing shipyard site in 2009."
As a result, emotional discussions arose beyond Kressbronn a. B. about the social security of the dismissed employees and the future handling of the historically
significant site and its buildings. The complete disappearance of the Bodan shipyard was perceived as a considerable loss.
Various buildings in the historic core area were finally placed under monumental protection and will be open to the public from summer 2020 following a conversion phase.
Eyewitness interview with Mr. Robert Dittmann
Managing director and shareholder of Bodan shipyard from 2005
"Municipal council decides to draw up the development plan, the shipyard cooperation is terminated by the Stadtwerke Konstanz, the Bodan shipyard decides to discontinue shipyard operations."
Eyewitness interview with Mr. Robert Dittmann
Managing director and shareholder of Bodan shipyard from 2005
"The development plan is not approved by the local council: Insolvency instead of orderly abandonment of shipyard activity."
Local history is decisive for the protection of monuments
Why has the Bodan shipyard been under monumental protection since the end of 2011? At first glance, the halls do not appear to be particularly worthy of protection - but from the point of
view of the preservation of historical monuments, there are a whole range of reasons to preserve the shipyard, at least in part: "There are a great many reasons from our point of view, but
the main reason for this decision is above all the importance of the shipyard in terms of local history," explains Dr. Michael Ruhland from the preservation of historical monuments of the
Tübingen Regional Council. The decision to put the traditional company under a preservation order was not taken overnight. In a tour that lasted several hours with managing director Robert
Dittmann, the site was inspected by the monument experts. "But the subsequent investigation naturally took much longer," explains Ruhland.
There are several ways to protect an old building - this can be an architectural moment, an artistic one or - as in the case of Kressbronn a. B. - a local historical moment. "The shipyard is
of great importance for the region alone because of the many ships it has built - and of course also for Kressbronn a. B. It has also been an employer for many people over the years," says
the monument expert from Tübingen. And: the shipyard has maintained this standard and quality for decades.
The second important point is the constant expansion of the shipyard: "They have not demolished the old, but left it standing and added new buildings - this way, for example, buildings from
the 1920s and 1930s are preserved and the history of the shipyard can be read", says Ruhland. Also typological questions like how a shipyard works or what is necessary for it can be answered
with the Bodan shipyard. Therefore, not only the buildings, but also things like the crane, the rails or the harbour basins are worthy of protection from the point of view of monument
conservation.
Britta Baier, Kressbronn Yearbook Volume 25, 2012, p. 46.
Acknowledgement
Numerous private persons have contributed to the success of the exhibition on the Bodan-Areal. A special thanks goes to them:
Karl-Heinz Arnold, Leo Baehr, Arnim Bauer, Michael Berg, Joseph Bhwana, Peter Butendeich, Klaus Dahrens, Robert Dittmann, Waldemar Dörich, August Fuchs, Gaby Göppinger, Gertrud Hagen,
Dieter Härle, Kurt Hunziker, Herbert Klein, Robert Knöpfel, Siegfried Kramer Franz-Robert Kutschera, Erika Kübler, Peter Langer, Berthold Luick, Josef Marzini, Doris Möller,
Lukas Reimann, Erhard Schell, Willi Schmeh, Willi Schöll, Hans-Christof Singer, Karin Tillema, Kees Tillema, Hartmut Trapp, Ivan Trtanj, Albert Zapf
Content preparation
Research, documentation and scientific support: Dr. Michael, Berg, Konstanz.
Text and editing: Gemeinde Kressbronn a. B.
Translator: Andrea Veit
"Improvisation skills on Lake Zurich in the 1950s."
Eyewitness interview with Mr. Waldemar Dörich
Electrician, master electrician, constructing electrical engineering, electronics and control systems
"The explosion of the passenger ship Munich on November 18, 1961: Observing the explosion from a distance."
Eyewitness interview with Mr. Waldemar Dörich
Electrician, master electrician, constructing electrical engineering, electronics and control systems
"The explosion of the passenger ship Munich on November 18, 1961: The investigation of the cause."
Eyewitness interview with Mr. Waldemar Dörich
Electrician, master electrician, constructing electrical engineering, electronics and control systems
"The explosion of the passenger liner Munich on November 18, 1961."
Eyewitness interview with Mr. Dieter Härle
Engine fitter, master machine builder, marina/winter storage, deputy harbour master
"Der sturmgefährdete Yachthafen. Schäden bei einem Föhnsturm 1982."
Eyewitness interview with Mr. Dieter Härle
Engine fitter, master machine builder, marina/winter storage, deputy harbour master
"The 2008 trial runs with MS Sun Queen. Challenges due to the size of the ship."
Eyewitness interview with Mr. Dieter Härle
Engine fitter, master machine builder, marina/winter storage, deputy harbour master
"Recorded by Süddeutscher Rundfunk, broadcast on 17.04.1957, SDR Stuttgart."
Eyewitness interview with director Otto Kempf
Managing Director 1920-1958
"The personnel development in the shipyard: 400 persons during the construction of the Bodan ferry for the German Armed Forces, wave of layoffs in 1988 and reduction to 100 persons."
Eyewitness interview with Mr Siegfried Kramer
Managing Director 1920-1958
"1988: The lost newbuilding contract for MS Graf Zeppelin and the dismissal of employees."
Eyewitness interview with Mr Siegfried Kramer
Managing Director 1920-1958
"Increasing cost pressure. From the beginning of the 1990s, parts were purchased from shipyards in eastern Germany, the Czech Republic and Poland."
Eyewitness interview with Mr Siegfried Kramer
Managing Director 1920-1958
"Die Anfänge der Werft. Anstellung des Vaters als technischer Geschäftsführer."
Eyewitness interview with Mrs. Erika-Ilse Kübler (née Kempf, daughter of Director Kempf)
Business graduate
"Wehrmacht contracts during World War II. The building of pioneer landing craft."
Eyewitness interview with Mrs. Erika-Ilse Kübler (née Kempf, daughter of Director Kempf)
Business graduate
"Kriegsende in der Werft. Der 38jährige Arbeiter Robert Fischer wird von den Franzosen erschossen (s. Kressbronner Jahrbuch, Chronik 1934-2009; 1945). Gefangennahme des Vaters. Demontagen."
Eyewitness interview with Mrs. Erika-Ilse Kübler (née Kempf, daughter of Director Kempf)
Business graduate
"Orders for Swiss lakes from the 1950s."
Eyewitness interview with Mrs. Erika-Ilse Kübler (née Kempf, daughter of Director Kempf)
Business graduate
"Commissioned MS Ville de Morat in 1955 for Lake Neuchâtel, Switzerland."
Eyewitness interview with Mrs. Erika-Ilse Kübler (née Kempf, daughter of Director Kempf)
Business graduate
"The building of ten speedboats for Czechoslovakia in 1955."
Eyewitness interview with Mrs. Erika-Ilse Kübler (née Kempf, daughter of Director Kempf)
Business graduate
"The purchase of a new uniform to enter the service in 1956."
Eyewitness interview with Mr. Franz-Robert Kutschera
Doorman
"250 employees in 1956. Increase in foreign workers."
Eyewitness interview with Mr. Franz-Robert Kutschera
Doorman
"The explosion of the passenger liner Munich on November 18, 1961."
Eyewitness interview with Mr. Franz-Robert Kutschera
Doorman
"The loss of the porter's job after retirement in 1993."
Eyewitness interview with Mr. Franz-Robert Kutschera
Doorman
"Diversification: Numerous additional activities to bridge the lack of orders in the shipbuilding sector."
Eyewitness interview with Mr. Josef Marzini
Kaufmann, Prokurist
"The explosion of the passenger liner Munich on November 18, 1961."
Eyewitness interview with Mr. Josef Marzini
Kaufmann, Prokurist
"The general overhaul of MS Thurgau in the Bodan shipyard 2010/11."
Eyewitness interview with Mr. Lukas Reimann
Head of the „Operations“ department at the Schweizerische Schiffahrtsgesellschaft Untersee und Rhein (Schaffhausen) from 2001 to 2016
"Employment at Bodan shipyard on 23 October 1968, work commenced 24 October."
Eyewitness interview with Mr. Ivan Trtanj
Ship smith
"The development of shipyard cooperation and the subsequent use of the existing shipyard site in 2009."
Eyewitness interview with Mr. Robert Dittmann
Managing director and shareholder of Bodan shipyard from 2005
"Municipal council decides to draw up the development plan, the shipyard cooperation is terminated by the Stadtwerke Konstanz, the Bodan shipyard decides to discontinue shipyard operations."
Eyewitness interview with Mr. Robert Dittmann
Managing director and shareholder of Bodan shipyard from 2005
"The development plan is not approved by the local council: Insolvency instead of orderly abandonment of shipyard activity."
Eyewitness interview with Mr. Robert Dittmann
Managing director and shareholder of Bodan shipyard from 2005
"Modernizations: Beginning work with computers in the technical office in the 1980s, purchase of a burning engine in the 1990s."
Eyewitness interview with Mr. Hans Schönegg
Shipbuilder and calculator
"The launch parties at the Bodan shipyard."
Eyewitness interview with Mr. Hans Schönegg
Shipbuilder and calculator
"Demolition of Giessen Bridge and invasion of French occupation forces."
Interview Walter Rau (replayed)
Text by Kornelius Rau from the Kressbronn Yearbook 1985, revised by his son Walter Rau on 26.05.2018.
The development of shipyard cooperation and the subsequent use of the existing shipyard site in 2009.
Municipal council decides to draw up the development plan, the shipyard cooperation is terminated by the Stadtwerke Konstanz, the Bodan shipyard decides to discontinue shipyard operations
The development plan is not approved by the local council: Insolvency instead of orderly abandonment of shipyard activity.
Mitarbeit in der Werft als Lehrling in den fünfziger Jahren.
Drei grundlegende Veränderungen im Schiffbau in Herrn Kramers Berufsleben: Vom Nieten zum Schweißen, von der Quer- zur Längsspantbauweise, vom Schnürboden zur Computertechnik.
The personnel development in the shipyard: 400 persons during the construction of the Bodan ferry for the German Armed Forces, wave of layoffs in 1988 and reduction to 100 persons.
1988: The lost newbuilding contract for MS Graf Zeppelin and the dismissal of employees.
Increasing cost pressure. From the beginning of the 1990s, parts were purchased from shipyards in eastern Germany, the Czech Republic and Poland.
Die Sanierung von Raddampfern auf Brienzersee, Genfersee und Zürichsee vor der Pensionierung.
Der Niedergang der Werft in den letzten Jahren: Anderweitige Prioritäten der Geschäftsführung, Qualitätsprobleme bei neuen Schiffen.
Die Anfänge der Werft. Anstellung des Vaters als technischer Geschäftsführer.
Die Bodan-Werft als Generalvertretung der Motorenwerke Mannheim für Süddeutschland und die Schweiz.
Zu Beginn fehlende Kenntnisse im Bau größerer Schiffe. Anstellung externer Fachkräfte. Wissenstransfer.
Wehrmacht contracts during World War II. The building of pioneer landing craft.
Kriegsgefangene als Arbeitskräfte in der Werft.
Kriegsende in der Werft. Der 38jährige Arbeiter Robert Fischer wird von den Franzosen erschossen (s. Kressbronner Jahrbuch, Chronik 1934-2009; 1945). Gefangennahme des Vaters. Demontagen.
Orders for Swiss lakes from the 1950s.
Commissioned MS Ville de Morat in 1955 for Lake Neuchâtel, Switzerland.
The building of ten speedboats for Czechoslovakia in 1955.
Unterschiede im Umgang mit deutschen und schweizerischen Auftraggebern.
