Living Room

Frequently Asked Questions

Who are you?

My name is Nikolai Zimbal. I met Kurt A. Körber personally in June 1989 as a trainee of the Körber Kolleg. This was a program, he established for young Soviet engineers for management training. We met Kurt A. Körber in Bonn at the Villa Hammerschmidt (former official seat of the German president), together with the former German president Richard von Weizsäcker and the former President of the Soviet Union Mikhail Gorbachev to introduce the Körber Kolleg.

What special event do you associate with Kurt A. Körber?

The special event took place at the Villa Hammerschmidt in Bonn in July 1989. We (the trainees of the Körber Kolleg) met Kurt A. Körber. Before the official event started, the protocol was explained to us, including the information from which direction the cars (with the politicians) will come from, and at which point they will leave the car. While we were waiting for the beginning of the event, a good-looking man with grey hair came up to us and greeted Kurt A. Körber warmly. Kurt A. Körber said to him: "Mr. von Weizsäcker (former German President), we've beautiful weather today." And Mr. von Weizsäcker answered: "Yes, the sun rises in the east", while pointing in the direction from which the cars should arrive. With this statement he referred, on the one hand, to Gorbachev, who came from the East and to the direction of the arriving cars. I can remember this event well today. This was my first meeting with Kurt A. Körber and the former German president Richard von Weizsäcker.

How would you describe Kurt A. Körber?

For me, Kurt A. Körber was a role model of an entrepreneur who did not only focus on the success of his company. He was characterized by a strong interest in public life and society. He was lively, eager to learn, and almost informed about everything. He asked us (the trainees of the Körber Kolleg), where we were coming from and he showed interest in what developments were taking place in our countries or in our families. As I said, Kurt A. Körber was a lively person, who also always realized, and emphasized his responsibility for society.

Where are we?

We are here in the house where Kurt A. Körber lived in Hamburg until his death. In this house, he lived together with his wife Anni. Kurt used to work here, but also pursued various hobbies like painting. Today, the Körber Foundation is the owner of the house. It is sometimes used as a location for special occasions like customer events or meetings of the supervisory board.

Who was Kurt A. Körber?

Phew, that's a tough question - or let's better say: it's a long answer. But I’ll try to summarize it for you: Kurt A. Körber is the founder of the Körber Group and the Körber Foundation. He was born in 1909 in Berlin. Even as a kid he was interested in technology. At the age of fifteen, he already applied for his first patent. He went on to file more than 200 other patents in his life. In 1946, Kurt moved to Hamburg and founded the company Hauni Maschinenfabrik. One of the first tasks included the repair of damaged cigarette makers – later he started to develop his own machines to deliver customer success all around the world. Kurt A. Körber quickly became active outside his initial business. With the acquisition of new companies, the Group started to grow continuously and focused on long-term sustained success. All the Körber companies (including the Hauni-Werke) were combined in 1987 to form Körber AG. Until his death in 1992, Körber had developed his company into a globally active organization with nearly 6,800 employees and a turnover of 1.5 billion German marks.

Which is your favorite anecdote of Kurt A. Körber?

Do I look so old that you think I knew Kurt A. Körber personally? Hmpf... Just kidding. As I had many discussions with some contemporary witnesses, I heard some interesting stories about him. I’m happy to tell you my favorite story. At the end of the 1970s, the situation on the German labour market was very difficult: There was a lack of apprenticeships. As a result, politicians called on the companies to train more people. Körber felt addressed and acted. He came up with the innovative idea of letting five small hot air balloons rise into the sky. The finders of the balloons were guaranteed an apprenticeship. No sooner said than done: Four finders were successfully trained and the fifth was employed by Hauni after a period of instruction.

Which guests did Kurt A. Körber welcome here?

Kurt A. Körber knew so many people – where should I start? One of the guests you might know is the former German chancellor Helmut Schmidt, who was a very close friend of Kurt. But of course, he also invited a lot of employees to his home. You can talk to some of them in this room.

When did Kurt A. Körber establish the Körber-Stiftung?

In the year 1959 Germany was facing an educational deficit. At this time, Kurt A. Körber - like many others - was convinced that if the education system would fail, society would be at risk. Because of that, he wanted to contribute to a sustainable solution and established the Kurt A. Körber Foundation. With the grant of 6.6 million German marks (which equals approx. 3.4 million Euro today), the Foundation provided a basis for the establishment of the University of Applied Sciences in Hamburg-Bergedorf. The university still exists today. Due to Körber's suggestion, the University of Applied Sciences trained bio-engineers for the first time in Germany. In 1969, Kurt A. Körber established a second foundation: the Hauni Foundation. When doing this he committed himself as well as Hauni - as a company - to donate a part of the company's profits continuously. In this way, Kurt A. Körber created the financial basis for a broader commitment toward projects that would benefit the society. In 1981, the two foundations were merged into the Körber Foundation, which is active nationally and internationally today with its manifold projects, collaborations and events.

Why was it important to Kurt A. Körber to be a benefactor?

For Körber, being a benefactor meant to act actively and independently. He saw himself as an initiator who wanted to start something all by himself and operate that responsibly. One of his main principles was: “In the morning I earn the money with my company, at the afternoon I spent it to the society with the Foundation”.

What was important to Kurt A. Körber as an entrepreneur and benefactor?

Kurt A. Körber determined his conviction of how entrepreneurship is linked to the responsibility of individual entrepreneurs towards society in his will. To this day, the fundamental principles from his will continue to apply equally for the Körber Group and the Körber Foundation. They also demonstrate his aim for the Körber Group and the Körber Foundation to continue their successful work for infinity while also safeguarding their respective independence. The Körber Fundamentals are: - Point 1: The Körber Foundation is the sole shareholder and owner of the Körber Group. The Körber Group thus has a reliable shareholder that focuses on acting long-term as well as sustainable growth. - Point 2: The Körber Foundation receives a reliable dividend for its charitable work from the Körber Group's revenues. - Point 3: Both parties pursue the interest to ensure that the Körber Group generates sustained revenues, grows solidly and expands its activities in order to secure the charitable activities of the Foundation.

Are the Körber Group and the Körber-Stiftung linked to each other?

Yes. The Körber Group and the Körber Foundation are economically linked. The Körber Foundation is the sole shareholder of the Körber Group. Apart from this, it was important to Kurt A. Körber that despite their common roots both entities act fully independently in their respective fields.