□ Text/Picture Cheng Danmei
Coordinator of this edition/Liang Li
一
Diverse and interesting clubs
There are many clubs in Germany, and the types are also huge, including sports, environmental protection, art-loving, and even some based on hometown In name only... Germany is recognized as the world club champion country because its number of clubs is 600,000.
The word "club" is called Verein in German. If you look it up in a dictionary, it will definitely tell you that it is called an association, but it is different from the association we know, and its membership form is similar to that of a club, but different from it. Britain's oldest high society club. German clubs are mass-based, non-profit-making, and anyone can sign up to join. I asked the Germans and they said you can call them whatever you want.
It is recorded that the earliest club in Germany was the Berlin Monday Club in 1749, which later became a reading club. But Hamburg people say that the "Hamburg Sports and Fitness Club" established in 1816 is the earliest. No matter what, clubs are places that satisfy people's hobbies and interests. Those sports, cultural, and entertainment clubs have low fees and are extremely attractive to families and individuals with various incomes, especially the elderly and children.
Football, chess, boating, old cars, including Beetles, duck cars and other special car clubs and motorcycle clubs, you can tell what they are about at a glance, but the miniature garden villa club is very unique. This kind of villa is often opened in another part of the city with a small garden. Flowers or vegetables are planted in the garden. It is a bit like a private plot. You can go there to rest in your free time and enjoy the addiction of farming on your own.
You can sometimes see miniature villas like this if you take the subway in Hamburg. Most of the miniature wooden houses are hung with lace curtains, just like playing house, with everything you need. A pair of young people named Catlin and Diego rented a place like this in the suburbs of Hamburg. Because Catlin is a green plant researcher, she wanted to go there to find a pollution-free vegetable experimental field for herself.
If the miniature garden villa is pleasant and nourishing, then the rabbit club will make people feel very childish. Germans are very open about their love for small animals. If you have children at home, you must have domestic animals. Therefore, there are corresponding clubs for those who raise cats and dogs to exchange experiences in raising animals.
What’s more interesting is that although Hamburg is far away from the state of Bavaria (the German part of the Alps is in this state), it has a large Alpine club. In this way, it is understandable why only Hamburg has skiing in the country. False reason.
In addition, there are many carnival clubs in Germany. Every year from November 12 to February of the following year, there are various carnivals in Cologne , Bavaria and other places. Of course, the clubs are busy with these. There is also a lot of preparation for makeup and floats, and some clubs will organize small performances. The
school club also has its own characteristics. Most of its members are parents of students. Its main activities are to find people to donate money and organize students to go out for inspections. If a family's financial situation is not good, the club will contribute money.
Rowing clubs include hiking clubs, mountaineering clubs, etc. for adults and children in rowing
health. A club called Kneipp comes based on the theory that stepping in cold water is good for blood circulation. For example, when climbing a mountain and passing a small stream, for the sake of health, you have to step on the cold water. The club is based on the work of a 19th-century priest named Kneipp on natural healing. The priest treated people through hydrotherapy, natural grass treatments, exercise, diet and changes in attitude towards life.
In 1897, this club also established a national alliance organization, which has 160,000 members so far. The first sentence of their charter is: This is good for society. Because of this, they have received government sponsorship, and the club also has tent sites, schools, kindergartens, nursing homes, nursing homes, etc.
There are many Germans who love history. There are many history-related clubs in Germany, such as the "Hometown Love Club". They often study local chronicles, do archaeological activities in their hometowns, and take local people to visit places of interest.For example, if there are ancient Roman ruins in western Germany, the club members will not only inspect them, but they will also sew ancient Roman clothes and dress up as if they were from the ancient Roman period.
In addition, there are bird clubs, chorus clubs, dance clubs, drama clubs, small toy train clubs, private small plane clubs, German youth hostel clubs, etc., etc., are also everywhere.
二
Clubs have their own rules
All clubs in Germany have basic principles: registered and private. And the first sentence of the charter is: This is a group that is beneficial to society, a non-profit organization, and it must have a certain structure. Because the club is tax-free, if any part of the club makes money, that part will be divided.
I have a journal of the Hamburg "Izakai Boating Club" called "Friends of the Over Village". Over is the upper reaches of the Elbe River. Because many of the members are from that place, they like that place, and the name is different, so they named it that way. The preface of the June 2018 issue of
says this: The new season has begun, and with the bright sunshine, we are very happy to continue the previous rapids training and enjoy the sunshine... The payment rules are posted on the second page of the
publication:
Individual membership costs 10 yuan per month (referring to euros, the same below) for those over 18 years old.
Couple membership (2 people), 16 yuan per month for those over 18 years old.
family membership: One parent with children under 18 years old, 12 yuan per month.
family membership: 18 yuan for two parents and children under 18 years old.
young members, under 18 years old, 5 yuan.
single member, over 18 years old, if you are unemployed during the training period, you will get 5 yuan per month.
Individual members, over 18 years old, who do not often participate in activities and do not use club materials, etc., cost 5 yuan per month.
Use of the club's boathouse is $5 per month for each kajak kayak.
Members aged 18 to 65 are required to contribute 6 hours of labor to the club every year. 14 to 18 years old, 4 hours per year. Those that are not completed will be replaced at 15 yuan per hour.
...
It should be mentioned here that the staff who edit the journal "Friends of Over Village" are all volunteers in the rowing club.
Regarding fees, clubs vary from place to place. Heimann and Haige from the Bremen Dancing Club said that they paid a total of 38 euros per month. When it comes to participating in club activities, Germans will talk about their history of paying fees in the early years. It is said that in the early years, everyone had to take the initiative to pay the fees at the club. Although it was not much money, no one could remember to pay. Therefore, after that, the person in charge of collecting money from the club went door to door, knocking on doors, and often went to members' homes to sit for a while, chat, and drink some coffee; later, they paid with the bank, because everyone always forgets, Club members can simply give their accounts to the club and let them collect them regularly.
Since you join a club, you must abide by the rules of the club. People in the club supervise each other. For example, in the small garden villa club, they supervise each other that your house should not be too big, and you should not be too noisy after 10 p.m. There shouldn’t be too many fires in the garden (bonfires and barbecues), the yard should be tidy, etc.
Steven, a member of the "Yize Kai Rowing Club" mentioned earlier, said that their club holds a general meeting once a year to elect the president, vice president, and the person responsible for finance and inspection of finance. The person responsible for finance must report every year. Explain the number of member contributions, how much money the local government sponsors, and how the money is spent. If there is any suspicion, someone outside the club will be asked to investigate.
Publications published by the rowing club
In addition, the rowing club brings together talents from all walks of life, for example, some are rowing coaches and some are people who know handicrafts, so they divide the labor according to each person's expertise. Some people are responsible for young people's rowing training, and some are responsible for " "White water activities" (referring to outdoor activities on natural waters), there are people responsible for repairing the boats, and there is no problem with staying in the club.
三
The purpose of joining the club is different.
The club is a group. Single people and lonely people regard it as home, and people with families regard it as a happy gathering place. In short, people who join the club have different purposes.
I know a girl named Myra, who has a very special personality. Everyone knows that she went to the rowing club to find a boyfriend, but what's wrong with that? Then she found it, and then she disappeared. There is also a female manager, Anna, who also met her current husband at the badminton club.
Heimann and Heige, a retired couple in the city of Bremen, have been dancing in a club every Wednesday night for more than 30 years. Hyman was a government civil servant and won a gold medal in a sports dance competition; Haige worked in a law firm and won a silver medal in a dance sports competition.
They said that at its peak, the club had 200 members, and many of them had participated in national competitions and won awards. They go there not only for the hobby of dancing, but also to meet their neighbors and old friends. When their children were young, they were often taken there for edification.
A member of the Bremen Dancing Club was published in the newspaper.
Club member Shi Fenn once danced in the club with his elders when he was a child. He still remembers it clearly. The observation and play there laid some foundation for the subsequent middle school graduation dance. Later, he also participated in a ballroom dance class in a club. Getting together with people who have been dating for decades will make people become a very friendly group.
Every New Year's Eve, Heiman and Haige always make appointments with friends from the club. They also invite each other on birthdays. There are activities in the club, and everyone bakes cakes and brings them there. They are very happy and united. In addition, Hyman is also a member of the sports club "Chess Club". He often goes to games on weekends and sometimes meets Mark Pod, chairman of "Werder Bremen Football Club" and former star.
四
Sports club culture
is the evergreen tree of Hamburg
No other city in the world has such a rich number of clubs as Hamburg.
Basketball Club
Because of Hamburg people’s historical traditions and their willingness to accept new things, coupled with Hamburg people’s unique sports enthusiasm, sports are an important undertaking for this city. The key is that Hamburg's many sports clubs have low fees and are attractive to families and individuals of all incomes, especially the elderly and children.
So far, the entire city of Hamburg has 788 sports clubs with approximately 500,000 members. The "Sports Happy Club" is the largest amateur sports club in Germany, with 35,000 members, and their activities can be found all over the city. The football club has the second largest membership in Hamburg, and the tennis club has 33,000 members.
Hamburg is a port city and is also located at the entrance of several major rivers in Germany. It is known as the Bridge City. The most representative of the characteristics of Hamburg's waters are the rowing , rowing and sailing clubs. There are 24 rowing and rowing clubs respectively, while there are 80 sailing clubs. In addition, there is also the Chinese Dragon Boat Club.
In the early years, British businessmen brought rowing to Germany. Subsequently, in 1836, a rowing club called "Hamburg and Germania (the patron saint of the Germans)" appeared in Germany, which became the name of the entire European continent. The original rowing club.
The starting point and end point of the marathon hosted by the sports club
At the Olympic Games, various sports clubs in Hamburg showed their excellent results and sent a large number of athletes such as rowing and hockey to the German national team. Not only that, there are also countless hockey clubs, volleyball clubs, golf clubs, bowling clubs, bridge and various chess clubs as sports. There is a marathon every year in Hamburg, and members of the sports club participate in it like a big party.
In addition to traditional sports and cutting-edge emerging sports, Hamburg is also number one in Germany, and its results are also far ahead.
五
Romantic cabin pouring my heart out
There is such a small town, and there is such a small house in the small town. The small house is made of pointed roofs with wooden rafters, and the white screen in the partitioned window is tasseled like the Chinese character for "四". both sides. Looking from a distance, it is quietly hidden in a dense green, like a mysterious and romantic place described by writers in novels.
Performance in the cultural cabin
If you pass by here in the dark blue of the evening, the wooden chandelier on the ceiling of the cabin is shining with candlelight, and there is the sound of flowing piano and soothing violin that seem to be invisible. came from the crack in the door of the hut. This is a small town called Rhen in northern Germany. The cabin is called Kultur Kate, which in Chinese is a "cultural cabin". People who come here are usually well-dressed ladies and gentlemen. They often hold goblets to congratulate a child who has just won a piano award, or they are invited to attend the award ceremony of a local cultural celebrity here.
I certainly didn’t break into this circle rashly. A pianist named Edda Blufarb told me about the Culture Club (230 members in total). Because she is often the protagonist there, and so are she and her students. One night I listened to her and her collaborators perform Beethoventhe famous Kreutzersonate op47 Nr.9 and DebussySonate für Violine und Klavier g-Moll and other works. I also discovered that the cabin was often used as a venue for art exhibitions.
During a break in a performance, a woman in a big red velvet skirt came to me, and I noticed her round Mongolian face. Turns out she's the violinist's wife. While smoking a cigarette, she told me how she went from Mongolia to the Moscow Conservatoire to study piano, and met her current husband there - a violin student from a region that once belonged to Germany and was later classified as Poland , and then they Both came to Germany. She is now a piano educator. This made me realize that the hut is also a place where cultural people can express their feelings.
When a local woman named Blufarb won the local cultural award, the award ceremony was held in this cultural hut. Those who congratulated and presented flowers to her were the mayor of the town and the host of the hut and the head of the cultural club, Mr. Yang Sen. Jansen told me a lot about the 30-year history of this cultural club and what happened in the cabin for more than 10 years. When I asked how the Culture House could attract so many musicians, Mr. Yang Sen’s answer surprised me: one listen and one look. One is to go to concerts everywhere, including youth music competitions; the other is to read various newspapers in various places to see where there are concerts and which musicians or newcomers are there. Then consider whether it would be appropriate to invite them to the cabin for a performance.
鲁
"ADAC" magazine: Germany has no rival
You can't imagine that in the huge Germany, the largest circulation is not a political or economic newspaper, not a literary journal, not a women's book, and not one that displays nude photos. Porn Pictorial is a magazine whose entire content is about cars. Its name is "ADAC"!
ADAC is the German abbreviation of the German Automobile Club. Its club members have reached 16.78 million. At the same time, it is more than a club in the general sense. It has its own travel agency and shares in the insurance industry, and has its own profits. Of course, the profits must be calculated separately. The maintenance trucks of
this club often appear on various roads in Germany. Its reputation in Germany can be compared with that of some famous politicians. It claims that if someone's car breaks down on the road, it can arrive at the scene as quickly as possible and repair your car as quickly as possible.
Of course, this is mostly a temporary problem, because no one can guarantee that their car will not suddenly break down, especially now that some young people are driving fast on the highway, causing car breakdowns. happens sometimes. At this time, the young man was helpless and had no choice but to cry and ask ADAC for help.
ADAC's maintenance truck is here. First, it will tow your car from the parking place to a suitable nearby place that does not affect traffic. Then the maintenance personnel will check the problem and start working.It is simple and can be repaired immediately, but for some problems that cannot be solved in a short time, ADAC will be responsible for helping you send the car to the necessary repair shop.
After all this is done, the maintenance staff will ask you: Have you joined the German Automobile Club? Answer: No. Of course the maintenance staff had seen in advance that there was no ADAC sign on the car. Then, the repairman will ask for your opinion: if you are not a member of our club, the cost of repairing the vehicle may be higher; if you join our club, no matter where your car breaks down in the future, we will do our best When you arrive, everything is free except for the necessary parts that need to be paid for. Of course, this doesn't mean we won't care if you are not a member, but it will be more convenient if you are.
As soon as he finished speaking, your mind started to work: Yes, although the quality of my car is reliable, I cannot guarantee that nothing will happen to it again. If my car breaks down again, what will happen to it? Not only do you need to find ADAC, but you also have to pay a higher price than club members. In this case, why not do it once and for all? After such a small thought, I said to the ADAC staff: OK, I will join. So, the other party opened a small book, which is a form that club members need to fill out. The maintenance staff first writes out some necessary content, and then you sign your name and pay 49 euros for a year's club membership fee. That's it.
From then on, you will start to receive a magazine with the same name "ADAC" every month. A club member named Ralph said: People don't want the magazine, but if you are a member, you have a copy. Almost every household in Germany owns a car, so the circulation is certainly large, probably more than 1 million copies.
This club is highly praised by people who have experienced ADAC preferential services. They said that ADAC has good service, and this service is not only available in Germany. If you have a problem with your car abroad, if you call them, they will still help you solve it, because they have many partners abroad; sometimes, you If your car breaks down abroad, if you are a member, a local car repairman will be responsible for taking your car away and will pay you for your return trip.
"ADAC" magazine is colorful, but most of the content is related to cars, and there are also a few reports about bicycles or motorcycles. Their main columns are: German Automobile Club information, inspection and technology, transportation and environment, travel and spare time, rights and insurance, as well as articles related to sports, such as car rallies, etc. Of course, "ADAC" magazine also actively participates in some discussions about automobile consumption. In order to reduce environmental pollution, many current issues are related to restricting the use of diesel vehicles. The life of the
club is so rich in so many ways that I feel like I can’t write about it anymore.
