The Bulli was introduced 65 years ago. Because it and the little Beetle were so successful and the plant in Wolfsburg was bursting at the seams, a new plant of its own was needed after five years and so construction of the Transporter plant in Hanover began in 1955. Within just one year, a complete plant was built - the largest production hall in Europe at the time.It was also the beginning of a unique era in vehicle construction: the legendary Bulli (T-series) has been built in the city on the River Leine ever since!
Not just a large production plant of the past
Dr. Eckhard Scholz, Chairman of the Board of Management of the Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles brand: "The start of construction of our plant in Hanover 60 years ago represents a unique development in the production of light commercial vehicles in Europe. Since then, this location has been continuously modernized and expanded - currently by the largest press line in Europe. The conditions are being created at the Hanover site to enable us to continue offering our customers optimum and individual vehicle solutions in the future. The enthusiasm for the van has not changed since the plant was built 60 years ago."
The dream of owning a car comes true - the VW Beetle
Thomas Zwiebler, Chairman of the Works Council of Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles: "The foundation stone for a unique success story was literally laid in Hanover-Stöcken. From nothing, a pioneering production facility was created in a very short space of time, which was developed into an essential pillar of the Group over decades with the great commitment of tens of thousands of employees."
Flashback, Germany 1955: Young women boldly wear petticoats and ballerinas, "half-strong" men wear leather jackets. The movie "Wenn der Vater mit dem Sohne" with Heinz Rühmann is playing in the cinema, and Caterina Valente's hit "Ganz Paris träumt von der Liebe" is playing on transistor radios. Germans, on the other hand, dream of owning their own car: the so-called economic miracle has arrived - and Germany is becoming mobile: the Volkswagen Beetle is once again the best-selling car of the year, breaking the million mark in the course of the year.
The Bulli is also on the rise
The Bulli is also in great demand. Production capacity at the main Wolfsburg plant, where the Bulli has been built since 1950, is nowhere near enough to meet demand. This is because bread, beer, coffee beans and meatballs have to reach consumers in large quantities. Consumer goods such as televisions, record players and refrigerators also need to be delivered to customers as quickly and safely as possible. Business people and tradesmen need the indestructible Bulli for this.
Over 200 towns and municipalities apply to become the new location for the planned Transporter plant. Heinrich Nordhoff, Managing Director of Volkswagenwerk GmbH and later Chairman of the Board of Management of Volkswagenwerk AG, wins over the Supervisory Board in favor of his preferred location in Hanover. The main advantages are the immediate proximity to the Mittelland Canal and an existing marshalling yard.
1955: Start of construction without any celebrations
Initially, 372 employees begin construction in a freezing cold, snowy winter. Quite unspectacularly, without celebrations. Nordhoff wanted it that way. By the end of March, 1,000 workers are already employed on the construction site.
The muddy ground, now softened by the onset of the thaw, has to be secured with plank paths so that trucks can deliver building materials. A small, provisional town is growing up on the site itself - with construction offices, supply and accommodation barracks and canteen tents. Enterprising traders with sales stalls also quickly set up shop here.
Big, bigger, VW production plant in Hanover
After just 12 weeks, the walls are already over four meters high. 28 large cranes are in operation almost around the clock, 22 large mixing machines spit out 5,000 cubic meters of concrete every day. A total of 1,750,000 cubic meters of earth is being moved - the equivalent of 256,000 truckloads at the time!
65 years of the VW Bulli
Production of the first Volkswagen van started 65 years ago. In the early years it was built in Wolfsburg, from 1956 in Hanover. It all started with a few pencil sketches and became a huge success. The bus did not exist anywhere else and was incredibly versatile and could be used for every need, whether for trade, crafts, services, family or leisure.It simply transported everything that "economic miracle Germany" needed at the time and was also affordable for craftsmen and dealers .
The start of production of the T1 marked the beginning of a decades-long success story that continues to this day. To date, almost eleven million T-series vehicles have been produced worldwide in five generations. Production of the new model generation, the T6, will start this year.
