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KD milestones

1826 to 2026

October 3, 1825

The Preußisch-Rheinische Dampfschiffahrts-Gesellschaft (PRDG) was formed in Cologne.

1825–1826

It is one of the two predecessors of today's company Köln-Düsseldorfer Deutsche Rheinschiffahrt GmbH. The other is the Dampfschiffahrts-Gesellschaft für den Nieder- und Mittelrhein (Steamship Company for the Lower and Middle Rhine), founded in Düsseldorf in 1836.

June 11, 1826

The Prussian Minister of the Interior, Friedrich von Schuckmann, approves the statutes of the Cologne Society.

1826

This date marks the official founding of the Prussian-Rhenish Steamship Company in Cologne. On May 1, 1827, regular service between Cologne and Mainz began with the wooden side-wheel steamer Concordia. In the same year, the company purchased a second ship, named Friedrich Wilhelm after the Prussian king.

May 13, 1836

The Dampfschiffahrts-Gesellschaft für den Nieder- und Mittelrhein (DGNM) is founded in Düsseldorf.

1836

The Steamship Company for the Lower and Middle Rhine (DGNM) is founded in Düsseldorf under the leadership of Gerhard Baum, President of the Düsseldorf Chamber of Commerce, and Karl Luckemeyer, Commercial Councilor. The company is approved on September 22, 1836. Six wooden ships are ordered from the Dutch shipyard Fop Smit.

1837

The steamships "Herzog von Nassau" and its sister ship "Erbgrossherzogin von Hessen" are the first ships owned by the new company, launched in 1837.

1837

This year, the company is building its own wine cellar in Düsseldorf. It will not be available in Cologne until 1845.

1838

The Gutehoffnungshütte shipyard in Ruhrort created the first Rhine steamer built entirely of iron for the Preußisch-Rheinische Dampfschiffahrts-Gesellschaft, the "Graf von Paris".

1838

By the end of the 1830s, the company had eleven ships.
In the years that followed, a fierce competition broke out between the two companies and a Dutch shipping company, the Nederlandsche Stoomboot Maatschappij. In addition to price reductions and races to win customers, there are also reports of mutual ship ramming in the 1840s.

June 9, 1853

The PRDG and the DGNM establish the Cologne and Düsseldorf Rhine Steamship Company operating partnership.

1853

The contract term is set at six years. In 1859, the contract is renegotiated and extended indefinitely. Both companies remain independent and decide, among other things, to discontinue service on the route from Mannheim to Strasbourg, as the construction of a railroad line has made it uneconomical to operate, particularly for freight transport.

1860

In 1860, a total of 1.2 million passengers were transported, with both shipping companies owning 14 steamships each.

1860

Under the influence of competition from the significantly faster railroad, passenger numbers stagnated at an annual average of around one million between 1861 and 1899, while freight transport declined in importance. During the period of rapid industrialization, demand for recreational trips on the Rhine increased, leading to the launch of the first two passenger-only steamboats, the Humboldt and the Friede, in 1867.

1913

The Goethe steamboat, which is still in operation today, is the last new vessel built for combined freight and passenger transport by the Prussian-Rhenish Steamship Company.

1913

The ship was launched in 1913 as a replacement for the decommissioned Ernst Moritz Arndt and was built at the Sachsenberg shipyard in Cologne-Deutz. At that time, KD was transporting around 2 million passengers KD 32 ships.

1914 - 1918

During World War I, the company's ships were also used to transport troops and wounded soldiers, as they had been during the German War (Prussia vs. Austria) and the Franco-Prussian War (1870/71).

1914 - 1918

Passenger transport will continue to be maintained.

1914

Conversion of ships into hospital ships.

1914

This includes, for example, the steamer "Cecilie" with 500 beds, four doctors and 20 paramedics.

1925

PRDG and DGNM found Köln-Düsseldorfer Rheindampfschiffahrt GmbH in the Düsseldorf commercial register to manage both shipping companies.

1925

The two founding companies continue to exist. In the same year, construction of the first ships resumes after the war and the subsequent occupation period.

1926

The double-decker saloon steamer "Vaterland" is launched at the Sachsenberg Brothers shipyard in Cologne-Deutz in April.

1926

The economic boom of the "Golden Twenties" led to an increase in demand for luxuriously equipped passenger ships. The "Rheinland" and the "Vaterland" were the first two new ships built after the First World War.

1927

The MS Freiherr vom Stein and MS Beethoven are the first diesel-powered motor vessels to enter service.

1927

They are also the two largest motor passenger ships on the Rhine.

1929

The double-deck saloon steamer "Mainz" is the last paddle steamer KD for KD .

1929

It is also the 1000th new build by the Christof Ruthof shipyard in Mainz-Kastel. At the time, the steamboat was the fastest ship on the Rhine, with an average speed of 22.2 km/h against the current.

1933

Due to the global economic crisis, passenger numbers fall by over 20% and freight transport declines by 50%.

1933

During the Nazi era, KD ships KD also used for excursions organized by the German Labor Front's "Kraft durch Freude" (Strength Through Joy) program.

1938

The "Köln" was the first large motor ship built by Köln-Düsseldorfer and also the last ship KD for KD before the start of World War II (1939).

1938

1939 - 1945

During World War II, passenger service on KD was severely restricted. The white ships were given a blue-gray camouflage paint job.

1939 - 1945

Some ships are used as hospital ships. By the end of the war, the pre-war fleet of 22 ships has been almost completely destroyed. Many ships have been severely damaged by bombs, sunk, burned out, looted, or vandalized. Only a handful of ships are conditionally operational or could be quickly repaired.

May 19, 1946

On May 1, service will resume between Cologne and Bad Honnef in the Siebengebirge mountains with the "Hindenburg," renamed "Frieden" (Peace).

1946

1951

KD once again transports more than 2 million passengers a year.

1951

By 1953, 18 ships had been repaired.

1953

100 years of the merger of PRDG and DGNM to form Köln-Düsseldorfer Rheindampfschiffahrt.

1953

100 years of the merger of PRDG and DGNM to form Köln-Düsseldorfer Rheindampfschiffahrt.

1959

The passenger ship "Berlin" is being built to replace the decommissioned steamship "Kaiser Wilhelm."

1959

At the time, it was the largest passenger ship on West German inland waters. The three-deck ship can carry up to 3,000 passengers.

1960

The Europa is the first cabin ship KD for KD .

1960

The motor vessel has four decks with 75 double cabins and is used for the journey from Basel to Rotterdam. KD is thus doing KD pioneering work and has since been regarded as the founder of river cruises.

1967

The Cologne and Düsseldorf companies, which previously worked together as a joint venture, are merging.

1967

The Cologne-based company takes over the Düsseldorf-based company and continues as Köln-Düsseldorfer Deutsche Rheinschiffahrt AG.

1972

The Raketa-type hydrofoil boat Rheinpfeil is ordered from the Russian shipyard Feodosia.

1972

The boat has a maximum speed of 65 km/h. At a speed of 35 km/h, the boat lifts off the water and glides across the water on its skids.

August 26, 1996

On August 26, the paddle steamer GOETHE, built in 1913, will be put back into service as an exclusive excursion and charter ship after being restored to its original condition.

1996

The Art Deco-style ship still sails for KD Middle Rhine Valley between Koblenz and Rüdesheim.

2000

In 2000, KD successful river cruise division, KD nine hotel ships, was sold to Viking River Cruises.

2000

June 17, 2004

On June 17, KD christens KD MS "RheinEnergie," now known as the MS "RheinMagie," the largest event catamaran in Europe.

2004

It is KD first KD ship, certified for up to 1,650 passengers. With KD is heralding KD new era for events on the water. On the occasion of World Youth Day 2005 in Cologne, the then Pope Benedict XVI used the ship for a pilgrimage on the Rhine.

october 2016

In October, the current UNITED WATERWAYS from Basel will take over Köln-Düsseldorfer.

2016

Since then, KD has been KD of Europe's largest provider of modular white label ship management services on all waters. An important step into a new era.

2022

The event ship "RheinGalaxie" is KD's latest newbuilding, approved for up to 1,000 guests.

2022

2026

KD celebrates its 200th anniversary.

2026

The fleet comprises 15 ships, including seven event ships. KD the market leader on the Rhine and also has a leading position in the MICE and event sector.