Kohlhammer Verlag

Kohlhammer Verlag, formally W. Kohlhammer Verlag GmbH, is a German publishing house headquartered in Stuttgart. Its principal identity is that of an academic, scientific, and professional publisher, with a program spanning books, periodicals, and specialist information for professional communities. The company is especially associated with German-language scholarly and professional publishing in fields such as history, psychology, education, theology, philosophy, and related social-science disciplines. The business was established in Stuttgart on 30 April 1866 by Wilhelm Kohlhammer. Its origins combined printing, publishing, and an unusual source of early financing: Kohlhammer had taken over the enterprises of his deceased father-in-law, including a long-established printing operation and a profitable bathhouse. The printing business initially operated from the rear of a commercial building at 14 Urbanstrasse. Income from the bathhouse helped support the publishing and printing activities until the bathhouse closed in 1890. During the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, Kohlhammer developed beyond a local printer. In 1882 it acquired the Deutsche Feuerwehrzeitung and continued printing the publication until 1923. In 1872 it also launched the weekly Neue Deutsche Familienblatt. The newspaper reportedly reached a circulation of 185,000 by 1914, demonstrating that the company’s early portfolio included mass-market periodicals as well as specialist publications. A particularly important part of Kohlhammer’s publishing history is its Urban paperback program. Established in 1953 by Fritz Ernst, the series is described as Germany’s first scientific paperback series. Urban paperbacks helped make scholarly subjects available in a more accessible and affordable format and became a recognized part of the German academic publishing landscape. The line has covered areas including history, psychology, education, theology, and philosophy. Kohlhammer remains connected to both publishing and print production. In the 2010s, the company had operations in Stuttgart, Würzburg, and Augsburg and employed approximately 400 people in 2017. It subsequently established Kohlhammer Druck in Wangen im Allgäu, expanding or reorganizing its production presence. Its printing infrastructure included three Heidelberg Speedmaster XL 106 eight-color presses supported by a maintenance agreement with Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG. The company has also taken operational measures addressing urban mobility and packaging. In preparation for Stuttgart’s planned 2018 diesel restrictions, it ordered three fully electric smart vehicles for service in the city center. In 2019, it adopted a paper-based packaging system developed with Hugo Beck Maschinenbau GmbH. The system replaced previously used foil wrapping and used individually printed paper wrappers produced on a Truepress Jet 520 HD inkjet web press. These steps reflected an effort to respond to environmental concerns while maintaining in-house or closely controlled print and distribution capabilities. Kohlhammer’s public profile is primarily that of a specialist German publisher rather than a global consumer brand. Its continuing relevance rests on its long history, its established scientific paperback tradition, its academic and professional catalog, and its integration of editorial publishing with modern print and fulfillment operations.

Kohlhammer Verlag traces its origins to Stuttgart on 30 April 1866, when Wilhelm Kohlhammer founded the business that would become W. Kohlhammer Verlag. The company was formed from enterprises Kohlhammer had taken over after the death of his father-in-law. These included a printing business and a profitable bathhouse. The combination gave the young publishing and printing enterprise an unusual financial base: proceeds from the bathhouse helped fund the printing operation during its early decades. The bathhouse continued until 1890, while the printing business developed into the central long-term activity. The original printing operation worked from the rear of a commercial building at 14 Urbanstrasse in Stuttgart. Kohlhammer gradually expanded from printing commissions into periodical publishing and ownership. In 1872, the company began publishing the weekly Neue Deutsche Familienblatt. By 1914, the paper had reportedly achieved a circulation of 185,000, showing that the firm was capable of reaching a broad general readership in addition to serving specialist audiences. Another important early publication was Deutsche Feuerwehrzeitung. Kohlhammer acquired the title in 1882 and printed it until 1923. This connection with a fire-service periodical illustrates the company’s historical involvement in professional and institutional publishing, a characteristic that later became central to its identity. Over time, the firm’s activities became increasingly associated with books, scientific works, professional literature, and journals rather than with general newspapers alone. A major milestone in the modern history of the house was the creation of the Urban paperback series in 1953. Fritz Ernst established the program as a scientific paperback line, described in reference material as the first of its kind in Germany. Urban paperbacks brought academic subjects into a compact and comparatively accessible format. The series became known in Germany for titles covering disciplines such as history, psychology, education, theology, and philosophy. Its development helped reinforce Kohlhammer’s position in scholarly and educational publishing. In the contemporary period, Kohlhammer has operated as a German academic and professional publisher with a substantial presence in Stuttgart and additional locations. In 2017, the company was reported to employ approximately 400 people across Stuttgart, Würzburg, and Augsburg. That year it opened a new office and subsidiary, Kohlhammer Druck, in Wangen im Allgäu. The move reflected the continued importance of production and printing capabilities alongside editorial and publishing functions. The company’s production infrastructure has included three Speedmaster XL 106 eight-color presses manufactured by Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG. A maintenance agreement with Heidelberg supported the equipment. This relationship illustrates the industrial side of Kohlhammer’s business: although the brand is primarily recognized as a publisher, its activities have also involved the physical manufacture, finishing, and distribution of printed products. Kohlhammer’s recent operational history includes responses to environmental and urban-policy issues. In advance of Stuttgart’s planned 2018 ban on diesel vehicles in parts of the city, the company ordered three fully electric smart vehicles for central Stuttgart service work. The decision addressed expected regulatory change as well as the practical difficulty of operating vehicles in the city center. In 2019, Kohlhammer adopted a paper packaging system developed with Hugo Beck Maschinenbau GmbH. The new system replaced earlier foil packaging and used individually printed paper wrappers produced on a Truepress Jet 520 HD inkjet web press. The change was presented as a response to growing public and business attention to sustainability. Today, Kohlhammer Verlag is best understood as a long-established German scientific, academic, and professional publishing house. Its historical path runs from nineteenth-century local printing and newspaper production through specialist periodicals, scientific paperbacks, academic books, and modern print operations. The Urban series, its professional publishing heritage, and its continued investment in production infrastructure remain central to the company’s identity.

• 2019

  Paper packaging system introduced

  [1]Kohlhammer Verlagen.wikipedia.org

  Kohlhammer begins using a paper packaging system developed with Hugo Beck Maschinenbau GmbH in place of its previous foil wrapping.

• 2017

  Kohlhammer Druck opens in Wangen im Allgäu

  [1]Kohlhammer Verlagen.wikipedia.org

  The company opens a new office and subsidiary in Wangen im Allgäu and is reported to employ about 400 people across several German locations.

• 1953

  Urban scientific paperback series begins

  [1]Kohlhammer Verlagen.wikipedia.org

  Fritz Ernst establishes the Urban paperback program, which becomes a prominent German scientific paperback series.

• 1890

  Bathhouse financing business closes

  [1]Kohlhammer Verlagen.wikipedia.org

  The bathhouse inherited through Kohlhammer’s family business closes after helping finance the printing operation during the company’s early period.

• 1882

  Acquisition of Deutsche Feuerwehrzeitung

  [1]Kohlhammer Verlagen.wikipedia.org

  Kohlhammer acquires the fire-service periodical and prints it until 1923.

• 1872

  Launch of Neue Deutsche Familienblatt

  [1]Kohlhammer Verlagen.wikipedia.org

  The company starts a weekly newspaper that later reaches a reported circulation of 185,000 by 1914.

• 1866

  Kohlhammer Verlag is founded in Stuttgart

  [1]Kohlhammer Verlagen.wikipedia.org

  Wilhelm Kohlhammer establishes the business on 30 April 1866, beginning the company’s long history in printing and publishing.

Academic and professional publisher serving German-language scholarly, scientific, and specialist markets.

• Scientific paperback series · 1953

  Urban paperbacks

  Urban is Kohlhammer’s best-known scientific paperback line. Founded in 1953 by Fritz Ernst, it was presented as Germany’s first scientific paperback series. The program made scholarly subjects available in a compact format and has covered disciplines including history, psychology, education, theology, and philosophy. Its long-running presence connects Kohlhammer’s twentieth-century publishing history with its continuing academic and professional identity.

• Books

  Academic and professional books

  Kohlhammer publishes scientific, academic, and professional books for readers in specialist and educational fields. The documented subject range includes history, psychology, education, theology, and philosophy. These books form the core of the company’s positioning as a German-language scholarly publisher rather than a general-interest consumer brand.

• Periodicals · 1872

  Journals and professional periodicals

  Periodical publishing has been part of Kohlhammer’s business since the nineteenth century. Historical examples include the Neue Deutsche Familienblatt and Deutsche Feuerwehrzeitung. The company’s broader publishing profile includes journals and specialist periodicals serving academic, professional, and institutional audiences.

• 2019

  Shift from foil to paper product packagingStrategy

  Background

  Growing public attention to sustainability increased pressure on businesses to reduce or reconsider plastic packaging.

  Action taken

  Kohlhammer adopted a paper packaging system developed with Hugo Beck Maschinenbau GmbH. Wrappers were individually printed using a Truepress Jet 520 HD inkjet web press.

  Aftermath

  The packaging change reduced reliance on the company’s previous foil wrapping and integrated packaging more closely with its print-production capabilities.

  Source

• 2017

  Adoption of electric vehicles for central Stuttgart operationsStrategy

  Background

  Stuttgart was preparing restrictions on diesel vehicles, while traffic congestion and access to the city center affected local businesses.

  Action taken

  Kohlhammer ordered three fully electric smart vehicles for service operations in central Stuttgart.

  Aftermath

  The measure positioned the company to continue urban service activity under changing vehicle regulations and supported lower-emission local transport.

  Source

1. 1Kohlhammer Verlagen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Kohlhammer Verlag official websitekohlhammer.de