Rowing in Germany

Exported from Great Britain, rowing came to Germany in the early 1800s. The first German rowing club was founded in Hamburg in 1836 following an initiative of British rowers living there. Over the next half century, a large number of rowing clubs were founded all over the country culminating with the birth of the German Rowing Association (DRV – Deutscher Ruderverband) in March 1883, including 34 rowing clubs and 1166 members at the time. Today, the German Rowing Association (DRV) has the largest membership within the world rowing federation, FISA, and is one of the most successful rowing countries in the world.