ESPABAU Eisenbahn Spar- und Bauverein Bremen eG is a housing cooperative based in Bremen, Germany, and describes itself as the city’s oldest continuously operating housing cooperative.21 It was founded on 30 July 1893 by railway workers facing a shortage of affordable housing; blacksmith Heinrich Helmbrecht led the founding meeting and became the cooperative’s first board chair.1
The cooperative began by building homes and developing a savings system to help finance construction. Its first homes were built near the present-day Eickedorfer Straße in Findorff; before the end of the 19th century, the initial development had grown to 44 houses containing 79 dwellings.1 Over time, ESPABAU expanded beyond railway workers: the cooperative’s history records that membership was opened to non-railway workers after the 1948 currency reform.1
Today ESPABAU provides rental housing, including for residents with and without a housing eligibility certificate (B-Schein), and sells terraced houses and condominiums to cooperative members.1 It also provides senior housing in Findorff.1 The organisation reports that around 6,000 Bremen residents hold shares in the cooperative.1 Its activities and housing provision are city-focused, with the source describing properties in different parts of Bremen.1
The current board listed in the cooperative’s imprint comprises Marc Bohn and Ralf Lindemann; Thomas Behrens chairs the supervisory board.2 ESPABAU’s registered seat and main office are in Bremen, at Meraner Straße 18, 28215 Bremen.23