Allgemeiner Alster Club (AAC)

North Geran Rowing Federation

Last modified: 2026-03-07 by klaus-michael schneider
Keywords: allgemeiner alster club | arm | cross(hanseatic) |
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• Introduction of AAC
• Symbols of AAC
• Flag
• Pennant
• Coat of Arms
• Ephemeral Unification Flag
• Pennant of Norddeutscher Ruderer Bund (1896 - 1980)

• Rowing Clubs in Germany
• Flags of Sports Associations and Clubs (Germany)
• Germany

Introduction of AAC

Located in: Hamburg-Allermöhe
Established: 12 October 1844

AAC was established in Hamburg as the first German regatta-club, i.e. a club organising boat races.
The coat of arms was adopted as a result of a competition in 1845.
On 26 June 1864 the club defined the so called "amateur paragraph", which defined that "amateurs are decent people rowing for pleasure", which made rowing an upper class sport for many years.
In 1896 the Norddeutscher Ruderer Bund (NRB) was established by rowing clubs not following the amatuer paragraph.
In 1980 AAC and NRB merged forming the AAC/NRB as the Hamburgian regional rowing association (German: Landesruderverband).
Today all Hamburgian rowing clubs, rowing departments of Hamburgian multi sports clubs and two rowing clubs in Lüneburg County are members of AAC/NRB.
Sources: club archive page, Gustav Kopal: "Vom Hamburger Wassersport", Hamburg 1912 and German WIKIPEDIA
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 6 Feb 2026

Symbols of AAC

Flag

The flag of the club is actually a banner of a arms, changed however in details of its elements, especially the coat of arms of the city of Hamburg and the shades of colour during the nearly 200 years of the club´s existence. The flag above is the first flag in use around 1850.
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 6 Feb 2026

Pennant

The pennant (or if you prefer: burgee) is triangular and displays the arm with oar alone. On upper and lower edge of the pennant is an indented dark blue bordure.
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 6 Feb 2026

Coat of Arms

The club´s coat of arms is quartered of blue and white. The blue quarters are plain. The white quartes are charged as follows: a Hanseatic cross, i.e. a red cross patty, (2nd quarter) and an arm holding an oar and issuant from a bulge of red with white stripes. Over all on centre are the city arms of Hamburg.
Meaning: The city arms refer to the seat of the club. The Hanseatic Cross is taken from the Hanseatic Legion, an armed resistence movement against the French occupation until 1814. It was introduced in 1813 for the participiants of the German Wars of Liberation. In this case it is also considered to be a reminder on the Hanseatic League and the guild of merchants of Hamburg. The arm (the oar sometimes looks like a paddle) in German heraldry is a symbol of industriousness.
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 6 Feb 2026

Ephemeral Unification Flag

The ephemeral flag of unification with NRB in 1980 had additional white inscriptions near the centre of the flag "AAC" on upper hoist quarter and "NRB" on lower fly quarter. As told before, the other elements varied due to fashion. In this case the arm with oar is in bend, the Hamburg arms have towers longer as usual in a French shield.
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 25 Feb 2026

Pennant of Norddeutscher Ruderer Bund (1896 - 1980)

The pennant was red cotized white-red at top and bottom. Shifted to hoist was a white inscription "NRB".
Source: Norddeutsche Ruder-Zeitung (newspaper of NRB) headline
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 1 Mar 2026

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