Hessian automobile club
The Hessian Automobile Club (HAC) eV is one of the oldest automobile clubs in Germany and is based in Darmstadt . It was founded in 1909. Since 1948 it has been a corporate member of the ADAC as a local club .
history
In the beginning, the focus was on promoting automobilism - supported by the highest levels such as the Grand Duke of Hesse and the Rhine , who joined the club in 1922. Automobile races were held, the implementation of which on “normal” country roads with traffic running must be viewed critically from today's safety-related point of view. From the very beginning, however, the HAC has also campaigned for more safety in road traffic, for example by setting up traffic signs to warn of curves. This type of early sponsorship with the use of inscription to advertise the automobile club or for the automobile itself had already been practiced by the Imperial Automobile Club and was used in many countries as a supplement to traffic signs.
The "traffic observation drives" organized by the HAC in 1927, for example, were specifically designed to identify, change and improve the situation on the roads in the region. All official bodies, from mayors to the Ministry of the Interior, police and justice, the IHK and the Hessian Transport Association were included; today one would speak of mediation .
In 1925 the HAC launched the Hessian traffic watch, which as the German traffic watch is an essential pillar of traffic safety to this day.
Until 1934 the HAC belonged to the Automobilclub von Deutschland (AvD) - formerly the Imperial Automobile Club - as a local club.
The continuity of the association was interrupted during the National Socialist period by the dissolution and liquidation of the club in 1934 for the purpose of “ conformity ”. At that time, many members joined the DDAC with the Darmstadt branch , others joined the NSKK .
On October 19, 1948, the foundation of the association was notarized at the Darmstadt District Court . They now joined the ADAC as a local club.
Historic automobile races
As early as 1913, the HAC organized the first "Southwest German Reliability Tour", which lasted three days and led across the border to Luxembourg - supported by the Automobile Club Luxembourgeois there.
As one of the first motorsport events after the First World War , the Opelbahn race was held in 1920 , which took place in the following years until 1923, then again in 1925 under the organizational management of the HAC and the participation of other automobile clubs in the region.
The historic series of Krähberg races began with an HAC club tour on October 9, 1921, which was followed by other Krähberg races with rallies from 1922 to 1927.
Today's club program
The originally naive joy in automobiles and the associated technical advances, in which the automobile club could also participate, gave way more and more to a more critical approach that took into account the traffic situation as a whole after the Second World War . There were still “ rallies ” organized by the HAC in the sense of search drives (e.g. “fox hunts”, “rocket trips”), but these were more tourist events than sporting events. Motor sport drives had to be given up completely because of the excessive regulatory requirements. In return, bike rides were also included in the club program. The focus of activities today - also due to the age structure of the members - is more on maintaining social contacts through a diverse cultural program.
Participation in traffic forums at the city of Darmstadt and its own public " bulletin board " for the discussion of traffic issues are evidence of the club's ongoing commitment to traffic policy.
President of the HAC
Assessor Emil Zimmer (also called "Petrol Assessor"), since 1922 board member of FAFAG - Factory for Small Cars - in Darmstadt, (1909–1924); Friedrich Carl Pfeiffer (1925-1926); Hereditary Count Alexander zu Erbach-Erbach (1927–1931); Hermann Kahlert (1932); Wilhelm Merck, industrialist, co-owner of the Merck company ; Heinrich Hahn (1950–1951); Erhard Zapf (1951–1952); Maximilian Kienzle (1952–1955); Emanuel Merck, co-owner of the Merck company , (1955–1969); Peter Merck , co-owner of Merck , (1969–1979); Heinrich Röder (1979-1998); Manfred Dretzke (since 1998)
literature
- Festschrift 20 years of HAC , self-published in 1929
- Anniversary publication 50 years of HAC , self-published in 1959
- Stadtlexikon Darmstadt, Stuttgart: Konrad Theiss Verlag, 2006. ISBN 3-8062-1930-3
- Festschrift 100 years of HAC , self-published in 2009
- Hessischer Automobil-Club Drawings and watercolors from the guest books 1962 to 2010 , pictures by Karl Schärer, Helmut Schweitzer, Bert Wichmann, texts: Hans Elert Gerke, self-published 2011
Individual evidence
- ↑ http://www.hs-merseburg.de/~nosske/Epochell/vk/e2v_stvo.html Traffic signs in the German Reich
- ↑ http://www.darijana-hahn.de/verkehrszeichen/
- ↑ Hess file. District Office Erbach in the State Archives Darmstadt: Letter from Hess. Automobil-Club EV of November 4, 1927 “Traffic observation trip”
- ↑ The Opel race track. Retrieved November 30, 2019 .
- ↑ FAFAG - Vehicle Fabrik AG Darmstadt. Retrieved November 30, 2019 .
Web links
- Hessian Automobile Club (HAC). In: Stadtlexikon Darmstadt.