Enlarge image
1/11
The nature-loving migratory bird movement had already created the breeding ground for camping at the beginning of the 20th century.
In the 1930s the car came into play and the trend culminated in the first caravan boom.
With the tourism wave of the post-war period, caravanning finally experienced a breakthrough.
For more affluent freedom
seekers
, the Minden-based
premium
brand
MIKAFA built luxury caravans
in the early 1950s.
One of the customers was Haribo founder Hans Riegel, who was vacationing on Lake Garda with his motorhome and racing boat.
Photo: Hermann Hajek MIKAFA archive
Enlarge image
2/11
When
Volkswagen put
its
T1
into series production in
1950
, it was not yet thought of as being used for tourism.
The transporter became the success model of the economic miracle, 1.8 million times in production by 1967.
As is well known, the
Bulli
will soon not only
deliver
goods, but will also drive families on Sunday excursions and on vacation.
Photo:
Volkswagen commercial vehicles
Enlarge image
3/11
A solution for motor camping enthusiasts with a smaller budget is invented in the USA: the
roof tent
.
Italian manufacturers such as Stogl or Dionisio enforce sleeping on the car roof in Europe.
Gerhard Müller
furnished campers in the GDR
with his coveted roof tents, which went down in history under the affectionate nickname "Pension Sachsenruh".
The television comedy "Go Trabi Go" (film scene in the picture) keeps memories for eternity.
Photo: ARD Degeto
Enlarge image
4/11
It was the
Westfalia
company
that made the VW van suitable for camping.
First, the coachbuilder made a "camping box" that turned the loading area of the T1 into a bedroom.
In the course of the 1950s, the VW buses were converted more and more to mobile homes and from 1957 the
Westfalia De luxe camper could
finally be officially ordered directly from the Volkswagen dealer.
The Bulli as a mobile tin tent has become an icon of the hippie cult.
Photo: Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles
Enlarge image
5/11
Germany's most modern caravan was called
Suleica
in the 1960s
.
Glass fiber reinforced polyester resin is the new wonder material for super lightweight structures.
Ferdinand Schäfer
shapes the plastic into a seamless body and furnishes it comfortably.
At 580 kilograms, his caravan is well below the average of its time.
However, the Suleica was not a bestseller, even the basic version was as expensive as a mid-range car at 7900 D-Marks.
Photo: Fritz B. Busch estate
Enlarge image
6/11
Going
out into the
countryside with kids
: The
Bürstner
company
from Kehl initially produced the compact Dolphin camping trailer weighing just 380 kilograms in the 1960s.
The larger
Flipper
model
(pictured) from 1974 also became an immediate success - apparently the advertising for service in all major holiday destinations was also convincing.
The company's plant grew rapidly and was taken over by the Hymer Group in 1998.
Photo: Bürstner
Enlarge image
7/11
Hobby
has had a classic garage career
.
In 1965,
Harald Striewski
began building his first own caravan with 3,000 marks borrowed from his aunt - and then sold it for 6,000 marks.
A little later, Hobby-Wohnwagenwerk GmbH is founded and the first production hall is built.
Business is so good that in 1983 Hobby became the largest mobile home manufacturer in Germany.
Photo: Hobby
Enlarge image
8/11
More and more amenities are spreading in the camping world and are no longer only affordable for the richest.
This is how the motor caravan arrived in the middle of society in the 1970s.
The fully integrated
Hymer mobiles
offer luxury class room comfort at relatively low prices.
The brand becomes synonymous with well-built motorhomes.
Photo: Hymer
Enlarge image
9/11
"Freedom on four wheels" was also promised by
Mercedes-Benz
with its
Bremen vans
in the late 1970s
.
The light commercial vehicles become the basis of various collaborations with motorhome manufacturers.
For example, the company
FFB
("Freizeit Fahrzeug Bau") from Blankenheim, a
major player in the
industry in the early 1980s,
uses
the Bremen-
based company to
build its
MC 82
: a giant room with two seating groups and a fold-down bed.
Photo: Archive Christian Steiger / Daimler
Enlarge image
10/11
The company
Niesmann + Bischoff
from the Eifel entered the business as an importer of US motorhomes.
In 1981 their first own high-end motorhome came
onto the market
under the name
Clou
.
The most glamorous version, the Clou Liner on MAN chassis with its own garage for a small car, attracted particular attention.
The smaller Clou campers, the base of which comes from Volkswagen or Iveco, are more popular.
Photo: Delius Klasing / Niesmann + Bischoff
Enlarge image
11/11
Out and about in the world: the history of caravanning
Publisher: Delius Klasing Verlag, September 2021
Authors: Christian Steiger, Thomas Wirth
Hardcover, 296 pages, 39.90 euros
Order from Amazon Order from
Thalia Order from
Delius Klasing
Photo: Delius Klasing 2021
cs