Prague Office

The year 1990 was the year of profound change in the cooperation between Hamburg and the former Czechoslovakia. Immediately after the economic and political changes in the former state of Czechoslovakia (the so-called Velvet Revolution), the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg and the state capital Prague signed a city partnership agreement.

The Port of Hamburg opened its first representative office in post-communist Europe as early as September of that year. Bohumil Prusa, who had long supported the cooperation of the Port of Hamburg with the former Czechoslovakia, took over the management of this first representative office. His deputy since the year 2000 has been the experienced forwarding agent Vladimir Dobos, who joined the Hamburg team following the retirement of his predecessor, Jiri Svoboda. The contact person at the representative office is Renata Cerna, who has also had many years’ experience in the transport sector.

The Port of Hamburg team in Prague enjoys the many and varied activities their job entails and they are proud to represent Germany’s largest seaport in their local market. The region of former Czechoslovakia has always been part of the traditional hinterland for Hamburg. There has been a brisk trade in goods with this region ever since the reign of Charles IV. Not even the ‘Iron Curtain’ prevented the former Czechoslovakia from remaining one of the most important transit partners for the Port of Hamburg even during that difficult period. Among the relevant target groups in politics, industry, trade and transport, the Port of Hamburg representative office quickly earned a reputation as a competent point of contact for all persons and businesses involved in foreign trade.

The extensive and professional consultancy services provided by the representative office took on special significance during the period of restructuring in the economy of Czechoslovakia. This committed effort was one of the reasons why the Port of Hamburg office in Prague was able to continue to represent the interests of the Hamburg metropolitan region successfully following the division of Czechoslovakia into the Czech and Slovak Republics after 1993. An indication of sound relations is the fact that businesses in those two countries have joined the ranks of HHM members. The significance of this economic region to international trade is also evident in the large number of local subsidiaries of international shipping and forwarding companies. Hamburg-based HHM member companies such as HHLA/Metrans are also investing in this region, thus making a contribution to the modernisation of logistics services here.

The HHM office in Prague is also an active member of numerous trade and professional associations and chambers of commerce and industry. This commitment in turn helps HHM member companies obtain information about, and contacts with potential business partners quickly and efficiently, and to respond to the requirements of the local market in a targeted manner. Another important factor in the successful performance of the representative office is that Czech and Slovak customers are kept abreast of developments in relation to the Port of Hamburg and are able to contact port-related businesses whenever they wish. Good connections of this kind are important when problems arise in the transport chain that need to be solved quickly and efficiently.

Manager: Bohumil Prusa

Manager: Vladimir Dobos

Administration: Renata Cerna