Carl Heymanns Verlag
Carl Heymanns Verlag is a German specialist publisher focused on legal and public-administration literature.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
Carl Heymanns Verlag is a German legal and specialist publishing house based in Cologne. Its origins date to 1 October 1815, when 23-year-old Carl Heymann established a bookshop in Głogów, then in Silesia. The business later expanded from bookselling into publishing, and Heymann moved the operation to Berlin in 1835. The company became associated early with legal authority and government administration: after Heymann received the Prussian title of councillor of commerce in 1846, the publishing house began issuing collections of decisions from the Prussian High Court. After Carl Heymann's death in 1862, the business continued under family management. His grandson Otto Löwenstein assumed control in 1871, and the publishing programme became increasingly concentrated on law and administration. In 1918, Anni Gallus, Löwenstein's foster daughter, became the owner. This family connection remained important to the company's governance for much of the twentieth century. The Second World War caused a major physical disruption. The Berlin headquarters was destroyed in 1945. In the post-war period, the publisher first established a head office in Detmold in 1950 and subsequently moved its principal base to Cologne. It also maintained offices in Berlin, Munich, and Bonn. During this period, collections of decisions from Germany's federal high courts became a central part of the publishing programme. These included collections associated with the Federal Court of Justice, such as BGHZ for civil-law decisions and BGHSt for criminal-law decisions. Such works positioned Carl Heymanns Verlag as an institutional reference publisher for legal professionals, courts, public authorities, academics, and specialist libraries. The company remained family-controlled into the late twentieth century. Bertram Gallus took over its leadership in 1986 following the death of his father, Hans-Jörg Gallus. In 2004, Andreas Gallus assumed control after the death of his uncle Bertram Gallus. The ownership structure changed in 2006, when the publishing house was sold to the Dutch media group Wolters Kluwer and converted into a GmbH. Ulrich Hermann and Christoph Knauer were appointed managers at that stage. Within the Wolters Kluwer portfolio, the Carl Heymanns name represents a specialist legal-publishing tradition rather than a broad consumer publishing brand. Its known output includes authoritative legal decision collections and specialist periodicals, including the Zeitschrift für Bergrecht, a journal devoted to mining law. The company’s historical identity is therefore tied to reliable legal documentation, commentary, administrative knowledge, and professional research materials. Public reference material does not provide a separate current financial profile or a comprehensive list of all contemporary products, so the brand is best described as a specialist legal imprint or publishing company operating within the Wolters Kluwer group.
History
Carl Heymann founded the business as a bookshop in Głogów, Silesia, on 1 October 1815, when he was 23 years old. The operation later developed into a publishing house, and Heymann moved it to Berlin in 1835. In 1846, the Prussian king granted him the title of councillor of commerce. Around this period, the publisher began issuing collections of decisions from the Prussian High Court, establishing a durable connection with legal documentation. Heymann died in 1862. In 1871, management passed to his grandson Otto Löwenstein, under whom the company concentrated its activities on law and public administration. Ownership later passed to Anni Gallus, Löwenstein's foster daughter, in 1918. The business consequently retained a family-oriented ownership and management structure through much of its history. The Berlin headquarters was destroyed in 1945. In 1950, the company created a new head office in Detmold and later moved it to Cologne. It also established branch offices in Berlin, Munich, and Bonn. In the post-war period, collections of decisions from German federal high courts became a principal focus. The publisher became associated with major legal series such as BGHZ and BGHSt, which document decisions of the Federal Court of Justice in civil and criminal matters. Following the death of Hans-Jörg Gallus, his son Bertram Gallus assumed leadership in 1986. Andreas Gallus took control in 2004 after the death of his uncle Bertram. In 2006, the family-owned publishing house was sold to Dutch media group Wolters Kluwer and converted into a GmbH. Ulrich Hermann and Christoph Knauer were appointed as managers. The company is known for legal and administrative publishing and for specialist periodicals, including the Zeitschrift für Bergrecht.
- 2006
Acquisition by Wolters Kluwer
[1]Wolters Kluwer acquired the publishing house, which was converted into a GmbH. Ulrich Hermann and Christoph Knauer were appointed managers.
- 2004
Andreas Gallus takes control
[1]Andreas Gallus assumed control of the company after the death of his uncle Bertram Gallus.
- 1986
Bertram Gallus takes leadership
[1]Bertram Gallus assumed leadership after the death of his father, Hans-Jörg Gallus.
- 1950
Post-war headquarters re-established
[1]The publisher established a head office in Detmold and later moved its principal headquarters to Cologne, with additional offices in Berlin, Munich, and Bonn.
- 1945
Berlin headquarters destroyed
[1]The company's Berlin head office was destroyed during the Second World War.
- 1918
Anni Gallus becomes owner
[1]Anni Gallus, Otto Löwenstein's foster daughter, became the owner of the publishing house.
- 1871
Otto Löwenstein assumes management
[1]Heymann's grandson Otto Löwenstein took over management and strengthened the company's focus on law and administration.
- 1846
Recognition as a Prussian commercial councillor
[1]Carl Heymann received the title of councillor of commerce from the Prussian king. The publisher also began issuing collections of Prussian High Court decisions.
- 1835
Business moves to Berlin
[1]Heymann relocated the operation from Głogów to Berlin.
- 1815
Carl Heymann establishes a bookshop in Głogów
[1]Carl Heymann founded the business on 1 October 1815 at the age of 23. The bookshop later expanded into publishing.
Products and positioning
A specialist German legal publisher with a long institutional tradition, focused on authoritative court-decision collections, legal and administrative reference works, and professional periodicals.
Court-decision collection
BGHZ
A collection associated with decisions of Germany's Federal Court of Justice in civil-law matters. It belongs to the publisher's historically important programme of authoritative federal-court decision documentation used by legal professionals, researchers, and institutional libraries.
Court-decision collection
BGHSt
A collection associated with decisions of Germany's Federal Court of Justice in criminal-law matters. It reflects Carl Heymanns Verlag's role in distributing structured legal documentation for professional and academic use.
Specialist legal journal
Zeitschrift für Bergrecht
A specialist periodical devoted to mining law. Its inclusion in the publisher's catalogue illustrates the company's emphasis on focused professional law journals alongside broader legal reference materials.
Professional legal publishing
Legal and administrative reference works
The publisher's broader catalogue has historically focused on law and public administration, including professional books, reference works, and documentary materials intended for legal practitioners, public authorities, courts, universities, and specialist libraries.
Brand decisions
2006
Sale to Wolters KluwerM&ABackground
After several generations of family ownership and management, the specialist legal publisher became part of the Dutch media group Wolters Kluwer.
Action taken
Wolters Kluwer acquired the publishing house, and the company was converted into a GmbH. Ulrich Hermann and Christoph Knauer were appointed managers.
Aftermath
The transaction placed the Carl Heymanns name within a larger international professional-information group while preserving its identity as a specialist legal publisher.
Sources2 sources
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