Ruder-Club Dresdenia e.V. looks back on an eventful history. It was already dark in Hamburg when, in May 1938, the “Women’s Rowing Department of the Company Sports Association of Dresdner Bank AG in Hamburg” was established. Dresdner Bank? Yes, the RCD began as a company sports group of a banking house that was founded in 1872 and merged into today’s Commerzbank in 2009.

The first 13 female rowers were employees of the bank. They were accommodated in the “Alsterlust” boathouse of the “Hamburger-Ruderinnen-Club,” founded in 1925.

From 1939 onwards, women who did not work at the bank were also admitted. The club moved and was housed in the Schwanenwik boathouse in 1940.

The war and the air raids on Hamburg made regular rowing operations increasingly difficult. From 1942 to 1945, the club was housed in the boathouse of the “Der Hamburger und Germania Ruder Club” until it was confiscated by the English in May 1945, and rowing was generally prohibited.

In October 1945, members could get back into their boats. Although there were neither washing facilities nor toilets in the old boathouse at Isekai, at least rowing could resume. However, it wasn’t until 1965 that the ladies could inaugurate their own boathouse – at the current location on Osterbekkanal in Winterhude.

Since 1982, we have been a mixed club, open to both women and men, and since then the club has been called: “Ruder-Club Dresdenia” – RCD for short.

RCD Photos

Today, RC Dresdenia e.V. is a club that is open to all interested parties and is home to members of all generations. Rowing as a popular sport is lived and loved by club members both in club life and at regattas. Whether young or old – from the age of ten, all interested individuals can try it out and experience the beauty of Hamburg from the water. In the club, camaraderie is on par with sports – after joint rowing training sessions, the day ends with a shared beer and bratwurst. Lively summer parties or joint rowing tours, e.g., to the Mecklenburg Lake District, to Denmark, or to the Vogalonga in Venice, have a tradition and contribute to a familial, cheerful, and friendly atmosphere in the club.

Hamburg, August 2018