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American Women's Club of Hamburg

Club History

Club History

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A Bit About Our Club

Our club was begun in 1956 as a monthly coffee held in members' homes. As the group grew too large for anyone's living room, meetings were held in restaurants and we became the American Women's Luncheon Club. Now our interests, as the American Women's Club, have widened to include more than just eating and socializing. In spite of all the adjustments of a growing group, we've tried never to lose sight of our goal, which was and is to help Americans adjust to life in Hamburg and to feel at home here.

Find out more! Read an open letter from one of the founding members of our club: "American Women's Club of Hamburg: It All Started in 1950"

Club Timeline

1931 Original founding of Hamburg AWC.
1935 First mention of having joined FAWCO.
1938 Hosted the eighth FAWCO Conference
1939 Club disbanded when all Americans were sent home due to the war.
1956 Founded as the American Women's Luncheon Club (this is considered to be the official date of founding. No bulletin or newsletter, only a mailed announcement of Luncheon time and place. Name of club changed later to the American Women's Club of Hamburg.
1965 Earliest known newsletter is published.
1976 Rejoined FAWCO.
1985 Club becomes an eingetragener Verein (eV), officially registered as a non-profit organization in Hamburg.
1986 Club becomes a member of Arbeitsgemeinschaft Hamburger Frauenorganisationen (Federation of Women's Clubs in Hamburg).
1992 Currents magazine is born. FAWCO regional meeting is hosted by AWCH.

American Women's Club of Hamburg: It All Started in 1950


Originally published in Currents April/May 2006

It all started in 1950 when I arrived in Bremerhaven, Germany as a member of a Red Cross group that was coming to Occupied Germany... It ended with my spending 20 years of my life in Germany and loving every minute of it. I was assigned to Bremen, Germany, which was occupied by the American forces and it was there that I met my husband who was in the shipping industry...

Life in Bremen was fun and interesting because it was all new... It was easy to be content and have friends then because we were a small community living in this occupied territory. This all changed for me in 1952 when I moved to Hamburg with my husband and daughter...

Read more: American Women's Club of Hamburg: It All Started in 1950

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