Hochtief AG: История и деятельность немецкой строительной компании

German construction company

Hochtief AG is a German construction company based in Essen, North Rhine Westphalia, Germany. Hochtief is Germany's largest construction company and operates globally, ranking as one of the largest general construction companies in the United States through its Turner subsidiary, and in Australia through a 90% shareholding in CIMIC Group. In 2010 it employed more than 70,000 employees across five corporate divisions. One of these, Hochtief Concessions, is a major airport operator. The others are involved with construction project planning, finance, construction and operation. The company's history dates back to 1874 and includes engineering feats such as the transplantation of the Abu Simbel rock temples in Egypt (saving them from the rise of the River Nile caused by the Aswan High Dam), and infrastructure projects like the new Athens International Airport and Germany's first nuclear power plant. It is also noted for its involvement with the Bauhaus movement, particularly for its work at Zollverein colliery and the reconstruction of the Kandinsky Klee house in Dessau; both World Heritage Sites. During World War II it deployed forced labor on construction projects. It built the Führerbunker in Berlin, the scene of Adolf Hitler's suicide, as well as Hitler's home in Berghof and the Wolfsschanze headquarters. More recent constructions have included Bosphorus Bridge (Turkey), King Abdulaziz International Airport (Saudi Arabia), and the Messeturm and Commerzbank Tower in Frankfurt. In late 2010, Spanish construction company ACS Group, which already owned a 30 percent stake of Hochtief, launched a bid that would allow ACS to acquire an additional 20 percent stake of Hochtief. The bid was approved by the German Federal Financial Supervisory Authority (BaFin) on 29 November 2010. ACS increased its stake in Hochtief to 50.16 percent in June 2011, effectively taking over control of Hochtief.

The company was probably founded in 1874 (its first mention in the local address book) as Gebrüder Helfmann, Bauunternehmer by the Kelsterbach born brothers Philipp and Balthasar Helfmann, a lumber merchant and mechanic respectively, in Bornheim near Frankfurt am Main. While Balthasar focused on the completion of construction contracts, Philipp developed the financing side of the business. Their first major contract was for the University of Giessen in 1878. By the 1880s the company had begun to produce its own construction materials but was still only a regional player. Shortly after the death of Balthasar, Philipp converted the company into a joint stock corporation, Aktiengesellschaft für Hoch und Tiefbauten ("Construction and Civil Engineering Corporation", though literally the "Corporation for High Hoch and Deep Tief Construction Bauten). A major development was the contract for the spa project in Bad Orb in 1899, with the corporation not simply erecting buildings but also to provide infrastructure like roads and gardens, to arrange the finances for the project, and to maintain some responsibilities for operating the project after its construction. Also in 1899, another turnkey project, a new grain silo in Genoa, Italy, was both the firm's first international venture and its first project using reinforced concrete. Philipp Helfmann died in the same year, with his son in law, Hans Weidmann, taking over as Chief Executive.

The firm grew rapidly, but was not comparable with the major German construction concerns of the era. In 1921 it attracted investment from the industrialist Hugo Stinnes (described by Time as the "New Emperor of Germany" for his wealth and influence) and in 1922 the firm moved its base to Essen as part of its integration into the Stinnes group. Stinnes planned to use Hochtief for all his construction projects, while the Hochtief saw an opportunity to profit from the Treaty of Versailles, organising the delivery of construction materials to France as part of German reparations for World War I. Fate intervened as Stinnes died in 1924 and within a year his industrial empire collapsed, while the French occupation of the Ruhr destroyed the chance to profit from the reparations contract that had been made with the French industrialist Guy Louis Jean de Lubersac. With the help of several banks, the company (now known as Hochtief Aktiengesellschaft für Hoch und Tiefbauten vorm. Gebrüder Helfmann) avoided insolvency. In the aftermath of the Stinnes collapse, the major utility RWE and electrical equipment producer AEG became major share holders in Hochtief, and Hans Weidmann stepped down in 1927. A series of major construction projects ensued, including the Echelsbach Bridge (then Germany's largest single span reinforced concrete bridge), the Schluchsee dam and work at the Zollverein colliery. The Zollverein architects Fritz Schupp and Martin Kremmer seem to be influenced by the Bauhaus, one of the reasons the complex became a UNESCO World Heritage Site. There was also canal work: the Moselle Canal in France and the Albert Canal in Belgium.

Under the Third Reich, Jewish members of the Supervisory Board were expelled under the Nuremberg Laws in 1935. The CEO, Eugen Vögler, did not join the Nazi party until 1937, however, he did offer his services to the Nazis as leader of the "Construction Industry Business Group" and took a position in the Hitler Youth. The construction business flourished under the Four year plan, with its vast public works programme, including the Autobahn network, and the industrial build up in preparation for war, for example the construction of a new truck factory for Opel in Brandenberg. Hochtief also worked on a new centre for Nazi rallies in Nuremberg. In 1936 it moved its Essen headquarters from the Pferdemarkt to its current location in Rellinghauser Straße. As war became imminent, the company began work on the Westwall defensive network. During World War II, it later worked on the Atlantic Wall defences, and a range of infrastructure projects across German dominated Europe. Hochtief also constructed buildings for Hitler himself, notably his Bavarian Alpine retreat, the Berghof, his Wolf's Lair headquarters in Rastenburg, and the Führerbunker in Berlin, where Hitler ultimately committed suicide. The consortium led nature of construction projects obscures the firm's exact involvement, as does the destruction of many records. During the initial post war period, a shortage of machinery, tools, and materials, as well as a dearth of new orders, hampered operations. Some salvage work occurred, as well as rubble clearance and basic repairs. One of the first, rare, major contracts was for a university hospital in Bonn, 1946–49. The introduction of the German mark in 1948 and the beginning of the Wirtschaftswunder brought more new work.