Setting the course with the catamaran

Completely new impulses

"If we hadn't done that, KD would no longer exist today. We set completely new impulses with it. At that time, there was no ship of this size on the Rhine," says Norbert Schmitz, CEO of Köln-Düsseldorfer from 2000 to 2015. In addition to the traditional passenger service on the Rhine, Main and Moselle, KD increasingly focused on the event sector from this point onwards. The impressive ship was commissioned with this in mind. The catamaran offers space for up to 1,650 guests. The ship is 90.3 meters long, 19.3 meters wide and has three decks plus an open deck measuring around 1,200 square meters. The approximately 40 square meter stage on the main deck is particularly noteworthy. There is a second viewing level of this stage from the gallery on the upper deck. To date, MS RheinMagie is the largest event catamaran in Europe.

Safe airspace for radio marines

"At the time, we certainly had respect for the challenge of planning such a huge ship. At the time, it was all about the forward-looking questions: how do we envision the new KD ? Where is the journey going in the truest sense of the word?" recalls Schmitz, who, when asked by the shipbuilders at the shipyard De Hoop in Lobith, the Netherlands, how high the superstructure of the stage should be, gave an answer that only someone from Cologne could come up with. "I thought about it for a moment and then said that the stage definitely has to be high enough for the dance officers to be able to safely throw the sparklers into the air and catch them again during the carnival events."

The Pope and the waiter

During the 2005 World Youth Day in Cologne, the then newly elected Pope Benedict XVI used the new KD flagship for a pilgrimage on the Rhine. The photos went around the world at the time. "It was incredibly impressive. Countless people lined the banks and cheered the Pope," says Norbert Schmitz. On board, the crowd was rather manageable. The security requirements were very high, as they were everywhere in the city during the Pope's visit. For example, the Rhine bridges under which the "Pope's ship" passed were closed and empty. The list of those who were allowed on board was also correspondingly short. For whatever reason, the name of a well-known gentleman from Cologne city society was missing, who thought that he and his wife should definitely be on the ship. Schmitz should please make this possible. Once again, a Cologne solution had to be found. Even today, some of those present at the time may still be puzzled as to why the gentleman in question was carrying trays of canapés through the rows as a waiter that day, while his wife was working in the scullery.

Concept worked

It is now clear that the decision to lead KD 's excursion and event business into a new era with the construction of this large multifunctional ship was absolutely right. The concept worked. In addition to the "RheinMagie", the company currently has three event ships, the "RheinFantasie" (2011) and the "RheinGalaxie" (2022), with capacities ranging from 1,000 to 1,650 guests. In addition, KD has four more modern event ships in its fleet: the completely renovated "RheinVision" (ex MS Loreley), the "RheinPoesie", the "RheinHarmonie" and the "Jules Verne", which was launched this year. KD 's floating event locations are now more in demand than ever. "And rightly so," nods Norbert Schmitz approvingly, "because where else could you celebrate better than in the middle of the Rhine with the best view of Cologne Cathedral or the other beautiful city panoramas?"

Pioneer of hotel shipping

In 1960, KD built the very first cabin ship, the MS Europa, and has since been regarded as the inventor of river cruises. After the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 and the reunification of the two German states, KD also wanted to become active on the Elbe. "There were talks about taking over the "Weiße Flotte Dresden", but we didn't come together at the time. It just didn't fit," recalls Norbert Schmitz, who had been working for KD since 1979. More concrete, however, were the plans to enter the river cruise business on the Elbe. To this end, two cabin ships, MS Clara Schumann and MS Theodor Fontane, each with 64 double cabins, were built especially for the Elbe in 1990. However, as the number of passengers was too low, KD 's Elbe tours were discontinued in 1995. River cruises on the Rhine were still offered until 2000. KD put a total of 12 cabin ships into service.

After several years of abstinence in this area, the KD Moment has had its own hotel ship again since 2024, offering event cruises all year round. KD has also been active again in the marketing of hotel ships for trade fairs, for example, since 2017. Norbert Schmitz was then no longer on board the KD. He had retired two years earlier.

Culinary experiments

He still has close ties to Cologne-Düsseldorf. "I'm really looking forward to the anniversary next year; after all, I was a KD for 36 years of my professional life." During this time, the now 73-year-old began to privately acquire and collect things about and relating to KD . These include historical travel guides, maps, posters, photos, documents and old menus. "It's exciting, the food and drinks reflect the spirit of the times. What was on offer on the ships also concerned the members of the Supervisory Board at the time. The former Chairman of the Supervisory Board, Dr. Helmut Keßler, was a kind of culinary advocate for the "Russenei". He was of the opinion that the dish absolutely belonged on our menu," recalls Schmitz with a grin.

Time for the Cologne solution brand Schmitz number 3: "I went to two Russian egg tastings with Dr. Keßler. Once at the "Goldener Kappes" in Nippes and once at the "Malzmühle" on Heumarkt. What can I say: why complain about a few hard-boiled eggs, potato salad and pickles? So we added the hearty classic to the menu. It even went down quite well."

Norbert Schmitz is now making his extensive private collection on the history of Cologne-Düsseldorf Rhine shipping available to his former employer for research purposes. The material is to be incorporated into the company archive, which is located in the Rheinisch-Westfälisches Wirtschaftsarchiv.