“Founded in 1905”, this statement marks the beginning of our journey into the history of Haus Berger. The origin of the Berger Group lies in agriculture. It began on a small farm near Vilshofen. Nikolaus Berger farmed it. In 1905, his son Johann Berger decided to become a businessman. He was inspired by the entrepreneurial spirit of the age in Imperial Germany.
In the town of Vilshofen, Hans Berger’s small building business quickly began to succeed. He faced established competitors. He soon started trading in sand and gravel on the Danube. This was the foundation of what would become Haus Berger.
The successful establishment phase ended abruptly. It ended with the outbreak of the First World War. Certainty in uncertain times came from the agricultural holding. It was on the estate in the Ortenburgerstrasse. It secured their livelihood. Thanks to attractive orders, in the 1920s Berger resumed his success story. He proved himself to be a capable, reliable and quality-conscious business. This further solidified the base of Haus Berger.
Along with the economic miracle after the Second World War came the first major growth stimulus. This was for the company. Contracts from outside the region increasingly strengthened the economic ground. With the establishment of the road construction branch, Berger increasingly spread beyond the borders of Vilshofen. A contributing factor was progressive mechanisation. Lorries and construction machinery gradually began to replace the use of horse carts. The acquisition of the first concrete mixer lorry and a scraper dozer also occurred. Investment in a Barber-Greene asphalt mixer plant from America also happened. It was a top-modern machine for those times.
By the mid 1970s Berger had reached an impressive size. The builder’s yard in Vilshofen town centre had become too small. Berger consolidated his attachment to Vilshofen. He did this with the future-oriented relocation of the builder’s yard. It moved from the Ortenburgerstrasse to Wieshof outside the gates of the town. In 1974 building began there on a modern plant. It had its own prefabricating facilities as well as workshops and warehouses. The prefabricating plant was also the basis for establishing the bridge construction division in 1975.
By the 1980s, the ready-mix concrete division had grown so much that, in 1982, BERGER BETON GmbH was established. It operated as an independent company alongside the construction sector. Despite several moves, the office space was no longer adequate for the company’s development. From 1986, staff from three locations found a new home. It had optimal conditions for efficient administration in a newly built head office in Passau. The main office had to be expanded once more in 1996.
The political changes in the 1990s had a huge effect on the Group as it is today. The Berlin branch was established in 1991 immediately after reunification. At almost the same time, BERGER expanded further into Eastern Europe. It created the subsidiaries BERGER BOHEMIA in Pilsen and BERGER BAU POLSKA in Breslau. The building boom after reunification was also the incentive. It incentivized setting up a number of new ready-mixed concrete plants. These are now the basis of a steadily growing supply network.
In this historic period of change, BERGER also succeeded in making a strategic entry into raw material extraction. It did this with the acquisition of several gravel works, quarries and a holding in the Slovakian cement works at Ladce. This was an important step. It boosted construction capability and guaranteeing the sustainable development of the company.
In 2016 a modern office complex was completed in Werneuchen. It was a landmark step. It guaranteed long-term optimum administrative and engineering services in the metropolitan area of Berlin.
Today, Haus Berger stands as a testament to over a century of growth. It embodies the values of innovation and adaptability. It started from humble beginnings and has evolved. It has become a major player in the construction industry. The keys to the future of Haus Berger are to be found in its living past.