MONTBLANC Partners With Hamburg Culture Centre
Montblanc has announced its partnership with the new Elbphilharmonie
Hamburg, a world-class cultural destination that opens its doors to the
public in January 2017 in Hamburg’s HafenCity, on the banks of the river
Elbe. By assuming principal sponsorship of the cultural landmark for the
next 3 years, Montblanc underscores its commitment to supporting arts and
culture, as well as the importance of its ties to the city of Hamburg where
the Maison was established 110 years ago.
“With a heritage deeply anchored in the culture of writing, Montblanc has
always placed the support of arts and culture at the heart of its
philosophy”, explains Montblanc CEO Jérôme Lambert. “We are delighted to
become a significant partner of the Elbphilharmonie because the purpose of
this cultural destination reflects the Maison’s commitment to making
creativity and artistic excellence accessible to broader audiences through
world-class programming. Because the Elbphilharmonie is located in the city
where Montblanc was founded in 1906, it makes the relationship particularly
meaningful and we look forward to seeing this landmark flourish.”
Designed by renowned Swiss architects Herzog and de Meuron, the
cutting-edge architecture of the building mirrors the Maison’s pioneering
spirit in both design and technological innovation. The Elbphilharmonie
brings together the archaic appearance of a historic warehouse at its base
with the bold curve of the dazzling glass structure that sits above it.
“We are extremely happy with this partnership”, says Christoph
Lieben-Seutter, General and Artistic Director of Elbphilharmonie. “As a
world leading manufacturer rooted in Hamburg, Montblanc stands for true
excellence and faultless craftsmanship. A perfect match for the artistic
vision and program of the Elbphilharmonie.”
The Elbphilharmonie Hamburg is built on the Kaispeicher A in the
Sandtorhafen docks, the building that succeeded the original Kaiserspeicher
constructed in 1875 and a place of great historic significance for the city
when it became a major centre for international trade. It was less than
thirty years later in 1906 that Montblanc was first established during a
pioneering era that inspired its founders to set out to revolutionize the
culture of writing with new technical innovations. Almost completely
destroyed in WW II, the Kaiserspeicher was detonated in 1963. In 1966 the
Kaispeicher A was erected on the same site, based on a design by Werner
Kallmorgen. With the rise in container transport, however, the warehouse
dwindled in significance. Today, a world-class concert hall sits decoupled
from the rest of the building for soundproofing reasons, with the
12,500-ton structure resting on 362 giant spring assemblies in a feat of
technical engineering.
