Establishing Round Table in Germany was a challenging endeavor. The first honorary member of the German association, Günter Rick from Hamburg, who served as the first National President of Round Table Germany, wrote a short essay about this association’s founding history. This report is based on his account of Round Table’s emergence and expansion in Germany.
A few years after World War 2, Round Table International debated whether Germany should be allowed to join the RT family, given the occupation and its aftermath. The decision was unanimous: Germany would be welcomed.
The Role of GĂĽnther Krull and GĂĽnter Rick
Günther Krull, a Hamburg native working for Unilever, had connections with Dutchman Carl van Waning, a former schoolmate from Lyzeum Alpinum in Zuoz, Switzerland. Krull was invited to a celebration in Rotterdam, where he met Hans Wakkie, who later became president of RT International. Although deeply interested in Round Table, Krull’s business commitments prevented him from pursuing its expansion in Germany. Instead, he entrusted this responsibility to his colleague and friend, Günter Rick.
Rick traveled to Rotterdam in 1951 to meet Hans Wakkie. After an evaluation, he was deemed suitable and was introduced to the RT world. He later received official approval to begin establishing RT in Germany.
The Founding of RT in Germany
In May 1952, GĂĽnter Rick attended the AGM of RTI, held alongside the AGM of RTBI and the biannual WOCO event. This gathering, with over 1,000 attendees, made a lasting impression on him. Encouraged by the goodwill and support, he returned to Germany with confirmation that the RT Denmark 3 Esbjerg would sponsor RT Germany 1 Hamburg.
According to Rick, visits from foreign RT members provided significant motivation. Shortly after his return from England, the Hamburg group implemented informal address terms and shared dinners, initially facing resistance but later earning widespread approval.
Thanks to the dedication of its members and the support of Esbjerg, the development of Germany’s first RT table progressed rapidly. As a result, RTI scheduled its charter meeting for October 12, 1952. The event was attended by 64 foreign guests, some accompanied by their spouses, from Denmark, the Netherlands, Sweden, England, and Finland. All of these nations, except Finland, sent their national presidents. RTI President Hans Wakkie also attended.
RTI not only tasked the Hamburg group with establishing a table but also with introducing RT across Germany. The first expansion occurred in Bremen in August 1952, with its founding ceremony held in December of the same year.
Expansion and Growth
The first German RT table was initially intended to be in Bremen. Danish RT member Erik Emborg had planned to establish it there in 1950, but it did not materialize. However, RTDE 3 DĂĽsseldorf was successfully founded through Dutch connections. In Hamburg, interest in RT grew so quickly that a second table, RT 4, was soon necessary.
As Bremen neared its official chartering, RTI introduced a new membership requirement: a country needed at least five tables and 75 members to achieve full RTI membership. Additionally, each of the first five tables had to be sponsored by a foreign RT group. With remarkable enthusiasm, RT members from different countries quickly stepped up to sponsor tables:
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- Bremen was sponsored by Dutch table RTNL 41 Windschoten.
- DĂĽsseldorf was chartered under the patronage of Table Ronde RTBE 7 Charleroi.
- RTDE 4 Hamburg received its charter from English table RTBI 48 Hammersmith.
- RTDE 5 Berlin was sponsored by Table Ronde, RTFR 2 Paris.
Before Bremen’s chartering in February 1954, Günter Rick handed over the leadership of RTDE 1 Hamburg to Günther Krull. By the end of 1953, key RT members had provisionally formed a national secretariat to coordinate expansion and RTI representation. However, it took over 40 years before the RTDE presidium officially established a permanent secretariat.
With Bremen’s official chartering on February 8, 1954, RT Germany became a national organization. The founding meeting took place in Hamburg on May 10, 1954, where Günter Rick was elected as the first RTDE president. The delegates agreed that each table would contribute 2.50 DM per member to RTDE.
RT Germany’s Influence and Achievements
Hamburg played an indirect but crucial role in the founding of Round Table Austria. RTDE Vice President Jochen Heyne delivered a lecture about RT at Rotary Hamburg due to RT’s Rotary roots. A Viennese Rotarian, intrigued by the lecture, requested more information for his son, Viktor A. Straberger. Straberger went on to establish the Austrian Round Table in 1955 and became RTAT’s first president in 1956/57 as a member of RTAT 2 Linz.
RT Germany continued to expand internationally. On April 16, 1955, DĂĽsseldorf was chartered under the patronage of Table Ronde RT Belgium 7 Charleroi, with RTDE holding its AGM there. At the RTI AGM in Utrecht in early 1955, Germany was granted the honor of hosting the RTI AGM in Hamburg in 1957.
RT Germany’s rapid growth culminated in Berlin 5’s charter celebration on April 7, 1956. Louis Marchesi, the founder of Round Table, personally attended to mark the importance of this milestone.
With the establishment of five tables and the fulfillment of RTI’s membership requirements, RT Germany achieved full RTI membership at the AGM in Versailles in the spring of 1956. This achievement was the crowning success of our first honorary member, Günter Rick.
Created by Hubertus Uschald, OT 69 Amberg
Translated and adapted by Christopher Mintoff, RT Malta
Sources:
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- Günther Rick’s written notes on RTDE history
- Conversations with GĂĽnther Rick
- Marlen Schubert & Harald Eggert: 60 Jahre RTBI — 50 Jahre Round Table auf dem Kontinent
- RTDE 211 Erfurt website: www.round-table-erfurt.de