MS Georg Büchner

The Charlesville was built in 1950 by Cockrill-Ougree of Hoboken, Belgium as the last of a class of five sister ships. She was built as a cargo-passenger liner for the Compagnie Maritime Belge's service from Antwerp to Matadi in the Belgian Congo. She was eventually sold to a German shipping company in 1967 and was renamed Georg Büchner. In 1974 she was transferred to another German shipping company. Finally she was preserved in Rostock in Germany in 1977 as the Georg Büchner. Initially she served as a maritime training school. In 1997 she was transferred to the ownership of the City of Rostock. There she serves as a youth hostel, hotel and training facility. Today she remains a rare survivor of a cargo-passenger combi liner.