All the furniture, paintings, chandeliers, silver, crockery and antiques that have been collected in Hamburg's most renowned cellar since it opened in 1896 can now be purchased by anyone.
After a long tug-of-war with the Hamburg Senate, the entire inventory of the time-honoured Ratsweinkeller is going under the hammer. From silver-plated cutlery with the Ratsweinkeller inscription, to a ship's bow as an end piece for buffets, to the bronze door handles weighing twelve kilos, a total of 40,000 individual items will be auctioned off.
These include 22 historical model ships, some of which are over 100 years old. The sailing ships were hung under the ceiling in the foundation stone vault of the Ratsweinkeller. Well-known brigs, corvettes and frigates are among them.
The "Adler von Lübeck" from the 16th century, for example, is being auctioned under catalogue number 1201. It was originally intended to serve as an admiral's ship in the war against King Erich XIV of Sweden. However, as the war ended before the ship was completed, she was used as a merchant ship. The reserve price is 1800 euros, as with almost all models.
Another special model is the "Santa Maria", the original of which was used by Christopher Columbus to discover America. The ship shows the typical red cross on the mainsail, which was a symbol of the Spanish conquest in the 15th and 16th centuries. The "Santa Maria" is negotiated with the number 1208.
Other models to be auctioned are the four-masted "Great Harry" from 1514, the Brandenburg frigate "Roter Löwe" from 1597 and a 19th century corvette named "Bismarck".
Many ships have the Hamburg coat of arms carved into the stern or have heraldic symbols in the sails. The rigging of the ships is very elaborate and a real eye-catcher for any sailor. For example, the auction list mentions a richly decorated four-masted ship with two lateen sails on the mizzen, as well as simple sails on the foremast and mainmast.
The auction will be organised by Hanseatische Auktionatoren GmbH and will take place in three warehouses of the furniture transport company Carl Hahn at Goosmoortwiete 7 in 25474 Bönningstedt near Hamburg. The auction starts at 10 a.m. and is scheduled to last until 8 p.m.
The huge collection can be previewed from Wednesday 6 to Friday 8 December from 11 am to 6 pm, as well as on the day of the auction from 9 am to 10 am. A detailed auction list can be found on the auction house's website.
