The Strandkorb―a German Seaside Tradition
No picture of the quintessential German seashore would be complete without a Strandkorb. These hooded wicker beach chairs are as much a part of the Baltic and North Sea beach landscape as dunes and seagulls. With a padded and lined interior, protective hood, sun visor, fold-out foot rests, stowable tray table and compact storage, the Strandkorb represents a neat little home-away-from-home on a sandy beach, grassy bank or even just in the backyard. Invented 130 years ago by a basket-maker in the Baltic port city of Rostock, the Strandkorb is today found all along Germany’s northern coasts and inland along lakeshores from Berlin’s Wannsee to the southern Lake Constance. German Strandkorb makers today export them all over the world.
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British journalist Roger Boyes looked at the Strandkorb phenomeon in a piece for the Goethe Institut website. “The whole raison d’etre of the Strandkorb is that it should not be moved at all until summer turns into autumn. It is part of a German need for anchoring, for the illusion of permanence. Entering a Strandkorb on a blowy, sunny summer morning is like returning to the womb.” (© picture alliance / Stephan Persc) -
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Vacationers in Germany’s coastal resorts rent them for a day, a week or even an entire summer season. (© picture-alliance/ ZB) -
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Inland in cities like Berlin and Munich, the distinctive beach chairs pop up in beach-themed bars and even as novelties at parties. Here, TV moderator Sandra Ahrabian, left, und model Alessandra Geissel pose in one at a cocktail party in Munich. (© picture alliance / dpa) -
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This giant Strandkorb was custom built to hold world leaders when Chancellor Angela Merkel hosted the G8 Summit in Heiligendamm in June 2007. Joining Merkel for a memorable “family photo” were (from left) Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe (Japan), Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper, French President Nicolas Sarkozy, Russian President Vladimir Putin, US President George W. Bush, British Prime Minister Tony Blair, Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi und EU Commi (© picture-alliance/ dpa) -
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The first Strandkorb is attributed to Wilhelm Bartelmann of Rostock, who held the title of “royal basket weaver.” Family lore has it that in 1882 a noblewoman who suffered from rheumatism commissioned Bartelmann to build her a chair that would protect her from the sun and wind but still allow her to sit on the beach and breathe in the healing sea air. He made her a simple basket-like one-seater and soon found that he had requests for more. (Photo – Usedom 1899) (© picture alliance / IMAGNO/Austri) -
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By 1883, Bartelmann was making a two-seat model and with his wife opened the first Strandkorb rental business in Warnemünde, on the northern edge of Rostock. By the turn of the century, the Strandkorb could be seen in all German coastal resorts on both the Baltic and the North Sea. By now it was outfitted with padding and lining and offered a civilized way to enjoy the shore, as they ladies and gentlemen were doing on the North Sea island of Sylt around 1895. (© picture alliance / akg-images) -
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Wilhelm Bartelmann’s Strandkorb business is today credited with helping to develop the sleepy enclave of Warnemünde from a fishing village into an attractive seaside resort. (© picture alliance / ZB) -
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Many of Germany’s Strandkorb makers today sell their products online to customers all over the world. Here Sylt Strandkorb owner Willy Trautmann and his son, Benjamin, show off the familiar white and blue chair popular on the island. (© picture alliance / dpa) -
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Here, the familiar white and blue wicker chairs dot a beach on the western side of the resort island of Sylt. [To continue the photo essay, please close this photo window and click on "10-16" on the gallery page.] (© picture alliance / DUMONT Bildar)
