Home |  Rooms & Fees  |  Gallery  |  About Us

When they arrived to the port which became the city of Valdivia, they encountered a region of exuberant nature, with forests as rich and plentiful as any in Germany.

Anwandter recites his well-known commitment speech in the best Spanish possible learned during the voyage thanks to Friedrich Wilhelm Döll: "W‍‍‍e will be as honest and industrious as the most prosperous Chilean. United to the ranks of our compatriots, we will defend our adopted country against all foreign aggression with the decision and the firmness of the man who defends his homeland, his family and his interests. The country that adopts us as sons will never have reasons to repent of his enlightened, human and generous decision."

In 1851, besides working as an apothecary, he founded the Anwandter Brewery on the Teja Island in Valdivia, which by 1870 already employed more than 50 workers and produced 700,000 liters of beer a year. Among other things, he founded the First Fire Company "Germania" on March 1, 1852, the German Club in 1853, the singing musical club, a library, a cemetery, and the German mixed school in 1858, where he was one of the first professors and directors and today holds its name (German Institute Carlos Anwandter).

After only a few months from his arrival, relying on the small fortune he had brought from Germany, he had begun four great businesses: the house of the Teja Island, Arique with the cultivable lands, which he left to Körner, the pharmacy, and the Brewery.

In 1855, the Anwandter brewery was already a small industry that reached an annual production of 100,000 liters. As the company prospered, Karls and his children brought modern German machinery which increased production, resulting in the establishment of sales offices in Concepcion, Valparaiso and Santiago. It was the largest brewery in Chile in those times. It is important to emphasize his constant humility and simplicity for. Although he came with a large sum of money, and thanks to his growing businesses, he became one of the top fiftieth richest families in Chile in 1882.

The school was characterized by being laic and teaching classes of quality education in order to form responsible, respectful, and ethical citizens.

The lack of a religious line was compensated with ethics classes directed by Anwandter, who was also professor and director of the establishment by many years. His most beloved work, and to which he dedicated the last part of his life in totality, was focused more on integrity than success. To accomplish this, he put all his heart and all the means he possessed so that this great project would bear the fruits he hoped for. He donated his herbarium, built the garden with trees from his own house, made the school his second home, and tried to make it for his students and their families, as well. He hired the best teachers from Germany, all advised by his friend Pastor Müller, who was his right hand in this business in the old continent.

He had 6 children with his first wife of 28 years Emilie Fähndrich, who later died in January 1853. Karl Anwandter married second wife Emma Muhm, 28 years younger and had no more children.

On July 10, 1889, at 11 pm, Karl died due to kidney disease dies at age 88 in his house of Teja island. His imminent passing did not shock to him and despite being completely blind, he managed to leave everything in order. He was able to appreciate the benefits that each of his works produced in society, he enjoyed his success and showed himself as he always was, humble and ready to offer his help to anyone who needed it.

Sadness overcame the people, both German and Chilean. He received on his grave tokens of affection from all who once had a relationship with him, either directly or indirectly. The funeral march ran from his house through the garden to his tomb, located in the family cemetery of Teja Island. The number of gallantly dressed people who met to send him off was enormous, the German school choir, all the firemen from the fire company, all the provincial authorities, and he Valdivia church pastor made emotional and deep speeches in his memory. In Santiago, as well as in the rest of the country, the Germans were concerned to make public news of his death, and rejoiced this man whose merits made him worthy.

In 1916, the Anwandter family agreed to sell their company to the CCU, which manages to keep the factory running until 1960, when the Valdivia earthquake destroyed much of the facility. This fact, added to the acute depression in which the city of Valdivia fell from at that moment, probably forced CCU to close this factory, which was a pride for the city and country. Years later, the company donated the lands of its former brewery to Universidad Austral de Chile.

Sources:

HTTP://HISTORIADEVALDIVIA-CHILE.BLOGSPOT.COM [HISTORIA DE VALDIVIA-CHILE]

http://anwandter.cl/dos/

https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carlos_Anwandter

Bergantín Hermann

Instituto Alemán Carlos Anwandter

Primera Compañía de Bomberos "Germania" de Valdivia

Click to edit.

House‍‍‍ Anwandter

Our beautiful heritage house was built during a time of urban development in the 1930s alongside other emblematic buildings such as the Casino and Municipal Theater. The  Anwandter family name was also given to the passage where the house is currently located. The following is a summary of one of the most influential German families in Chilean history.

Karl Anwandter Fick (Luckenwalde, Prussia, April 8, 1801 - Valdivia, Chile, July 10, 1889) was a German colonist and entrepreneur.

He worked as an apprentice in a pharmacy and later entered the University of Berlin where he obtained the pharmacy degree of first class in 1825. Then, he moved to Calau. His ideas and political activities earned him his election as the Deputy of the Prussian Diet in 1847, and the Provincial Assembly in 1848, and the Mayor of Calau. He participated in the 1848 German Revolution, and due to his liberal and republican principles, which opposed to Prussian absolutism, let him to contemplate emigration.

Karl Anwandter received information about the intention of the Chilean government to populate its southern regions through the action of Chilean state representative Bernhard Philippi and associate Franz Kindermann, along numerous letters that entrepreneurs, such as the English Aquinas Ried, sent from Valparaiso to promote German immigration.

On June 29, 1850, 85 emigrants and 11 crewmen left the "Hermann" sailing boat from the port of Hamburg with numerous problems and complaints from the company that advised them on the trip. The sailboat arrived in Corral on November 12, 1850, after a 156-day voyage with no stopover in any port.

In 1850, he emigrated to Corral, in the Valdivia region, where he stood as leader of the first contingent of settlers sent by Bernardo Phillipi.