Page 10 - Bulletin 21

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Capetonians. Sadly the hotel was demolished in 1971, and replaced by the Gardens Shopping

Centre.

Again, the design of a high-rise hotel with an art-nouveau façade was seen in 1901 in John
Parker’s redesign of Ohlsson’s Cape Breweries’ original Hansa Hotel, corner of Strand and

Burg Streets. The hotel was named after the famous Hanseatic League which was founded in
Germany in 1241 (hansa is the German for union.)

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During the 14 century the league became a powerful organisation which protected the trade-
routes of various German cities from land and sea (pirates) robbers. It was during the latter

part of this century that Northern European and Scandinavian cities joined the league. The

league ended at the start of the Thirty Year War (1618-1638) when Germany became
involved in the conflict between Catholics and Protestants.

In 1910 the hotel’s name was changed to the Manchester Hotel after the introduction of

imported Norwegian hansa beer, which was now in competition with Ohlsson’s Cape
Breweries’ Lion Beer. Hansa beer was originally brewed at the Bryggen Brewery (est. 1891)

in the south-west Norwegian port of Bergen, that country’s premier port from which many of

its products, especially codfish, were exported. The beer was so named to reflect Bergen’s
history when a member of the Hanseatic League (c.1400-c.1600.) It was one of three major

North Sea cities which joined the league; the other two were Copenhagen (Denmark) and
Stockholm (Sweden).

Note: The original Norwegian hansa beer must not be confused with today’s popular Hansa
Pilsener. The name pilsener originated from the city of Plzen, Bohemia, where hops,

especially the Caaz hop, is grown for local production of pilsener beer, and for export. Since
1976 South African Breweries has had an import agreement with the Czech Republic for its

Caaz hops which are used in the production of Hansa Pilsener at Newlands Brewery.

Until the outbreak of the First World War the Manchester Hotel was the “watering-hole” for

the Captains, Officers and crew of the German Ships of the Woermann Line, which regularly
called at Cape Town. Here the manager served sauerkraut and other traditional German

delicacies. The Woermann Line’s association with South Africa was cancelled in 1914, but
re-established from 1921 to 1939.