FörderFreunde lecture: Dr. Jochen Tohlen: Borgward – a shot into bankruptcy

"Bremen – Borgward, Borgward – Bremen, that was one"

The quote reflects  the Borgward myth again, as it arose especially after July 28, 1961 - the time of the application for a settlement (later bankruptcy) of the now quasi-nationalized Borgward AG at the Bremen district court. Dr. Jochen Tohlen will take a closer look at the causes of this decline, which ultimately led to the downfall. The fact is, at the end of 1960, the balance sheets of the three Borgward production facilities closed with a loss of DM 30 million. Financial help from outside was necessary and gradually the Bremen Senate approved 120 million DM in financial aid, around 22 percent of the entire public budget of the state of Bremen. In the course of these credit and support events, events came to a head in January 1961 and the situation at the car manufacturer continued to worsen as the process continued. On July 28, 1968, Borgward Werke AG had to submit an application for settlement proceedings (later bankruptcy) to the Bremen district court, accompanied by the dismissal of 15,200 employees. Many questions, including the fate of the dismissed Borgward employees, are examined on the basis of a comprehensive empirical study from the 1980s, in which not only numerous contemporary witnesses who were still alive at the time were interviewed, but also those who are still alive today released Borgward files from the Bremen Senate could be evaluated. Dr. Jochen Tholten is an economist and sociologist. In addition to his scientific interest in the "Borgward case", he also has a personal one: At the end of the 1950s, his father bought a Lloyd station wagon, 13 hp, 2-stroke engine, steel at the bottom, wood at the top with a linoleum cover. The entire family went on a camping holiday (Switzerland, Austria, Denmark, of course (West) Germany).

Admission to the lecture is ten euros, supporters have free access, spontaneous guests are of course welcome, but unfortunately a place cannot be guaranteed.