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Description

A Late 19th Century German Colony in Brazil

Fascinating broadsheet promoting the Hansa Colonization Society's newly created "Kolonie Hansa," consisting of Joinville, Kolonie Hansa, Kolonie Dona Francisca and Kolonie Blumeau in Southern Brazil.

Includes map and a total of 28 scenes from the Hanseatic Colonization Society, the last of a series of 3 German colonial efforts in the Santa Catarina State, in Southern Brazil. Established in 1898, from acquired lands of two earlier German Colonies in a roughly 10 year effort to establish a German Colony in Brazil.

Joinville was founded on March 9, 1851, by German, Swiss and Norwegian immigrants. Even though it is considered a German-Brazilian city, its name is French (Joinville was named after François d'Orléans, prince of Joinville, son of King Louis-Philippe of France, who married Princess Francisca of Brazil, in 1843). The city's former name was Dona Francisca, but was changed to Joinville in 1851.

The land where Joinville is located was part of the French and Brazilian Royal Family wedding gift, even though the Prince of Joinville and his Brazilian bride had never been to the land. A Royal Palace was built in their honor around 1870. In 1851, the French prince, after a financial crisis, sold almost all his lands in Southern Brazil to the German Senator, Mathias Schröder.

Senator Christian Mathias Schröder was a member of the Colonization Society of Hamburg. This society, made up of bankers, businessmen and merchants, attracted immigrants to be sent to Brazil and thereby establish commercial ties between Germany and the German communities in Brazil. In 1851, the first 118 German and Swiss immigrants arrived, followed by 74 Norwegian immigrants. From 1850 to 1888, Joinville received 17,000 German immigrants, most of them Lutherans, poor peasants coming to occupy this part of Brazil.

Kolonie Blumenau is named after Hermann Bruno Otto Blumenau (1819 - 1899). Blumenau became interested in emigration to Brazil as a result of his contacts with the scientist Carl Friedrich Philipp von Martius and Alexander von Humboldt and the Brazilian consul general. In 1848, he helped establish a company for German emigrants to southern Brazil, which led to the founding of Kolonie Blumenau in 1850. He returned to Brazil in September 1850 with a small group of colonists to the Valley of the Itajai.-Acu. One of the early settlers in the Colony was the biologist Johann Friedrich Theodor Müller. In 1859, Blumenau decided to surrender the Colony to Brazil, which occurred in 1860.

Christian Mathias Schröder (1778 -1860) was a German senator from the city of Hamburg, Germany. Schröder was the main member and stock holder the "Society for the Protection of the Immigrant in Southern Brazil" which was established in 1842. Among other financial colonization activities, Schröder sent his son Eduard Schröder to become the first manager of the Dona Francisca colony (which would become Joinville).

Kolonie Hansa was formed by a consortium of large German export and shipping firms, hoping to promote emigration to Brazil. In 1896, they created the Hanseatic Colonization Society, in order to buy a large tract of land in Santa Catarina (75 miles west of Blumenau), and attract colonists. Permission was granted in 1898 and a massive advertising campaign was commenced. Unfortunately, because of the poor choice of an inland location without meaningful transportation hubs, the Colony was not successful. While the company promoted a plan to build a railroad from Hammonia (the principal town) to Blumenau, it was not until 1906 that the Santa Catarina Joint Stock Company was formed to build the railroad line.

During its existence, the Hansa Colony absorbed the older Blumenau and Dona Francisca colonies.

Rarity

The broadsheet is very rare. Not in OCLC.  There does seem to be at least 1 surviving example in Brazilian archives.

This is the second example we have offered in 25 years.