Medici Buchhandels GmbH

Medici Buchhandels GmbH is an Austrian book-trade company based in Innsbruck. It was founded in October 2015 by the publisher Markus Hatzer and the bookseller Markus Renk specifically to take over the Wagner'sche Buchhandlung, the oldest bookshop in Tyrol, whose roots reach back to 1639. Through this acquisition the company became the operating entity behind a historic Innsbruck retail name while positioning it for a modern future. The company's public-facing business is the Wagner'sche Buchhandlung, which trades online at wagnersche.at and through its physical departments on Museumstrasse in Innsbruck. The shop sells books across genres — fiction, crime and thrillers, cookbooks, history and regional titles — and hosts a regular programme of author readings, book presentations and literary events, including appearances tied to the Austrian and German Book Prizes. Its online shop offers home delivery and in-store pickup. Ownership and leadership have evolved since founding. Markus Renk is now the sole managing director, while the company is associated with the Medici Holding structure. The historic title 'Universitätsbuchhandlung' (university bookshop) that the shop carries is a legacy distinction granted to Michael Anton Wagner in 1723; under the University Act 2002 such awards are no longer made to legal persons, so it is maintained as a historical fact rather than a current official designation. Medici Buchhandels GmbH therefore functions as a small, privately held Austrian corporate brand whose identity is closely bound to the heritage of the Wagner'sche name. It combines stewardship of a centuries-old Tyrolean bookselling tradition with contemporary retail and events activity in Innsbruck.

Medici Buchhandels GmbH was established in October 2015 by the publisher Markus Hatzer and the bookseller Markus Renk. The company was created expressly to take over the Wagner'sche Buchhandlung in Innsbruck, a bookshop whose lineage is unusually long: as early as 1639 the book-printer's journeyman Michael Wagner received official permission from the sovereign to print and sell books, making the Wagner'sche the oldest bookshop in Tyrol. By acquiring the historic Innsbruck business, Medici Buchhandels GmbH became the corporate vehicle through which the Wagner'sche name would be carried forward. The company presents itself as giving the old shop a new, modern direction — 'old, but new' — combining the prestige of a centuries-old bookselling tradition with contemporary retail practice. The shop operates departments on Museumstrasse in Innsbruck and an online shop at wagnersche.at, offering home delivery and in-store pickup, and it runs a busy calendar of readings, book presentations and literary events. Leadership has since consolidated: Markus Renk is now the sole managing director, with responsibility for steering the historically rooted Innsbruck bookshop into the future. The company is linked to the Medici Holding structure, and its public identity remains closely tied to the Wagner'sche brand. A notable historical detail the company preserves is the title 'Universitätsbuchhandlung' (university bookshop). This designation was granted to Michael Anton Wagner in 1723. Because the University Act 2002 no longer provides for such awards to legal persons, the title is retained as a historical fact rather than a currently conferred status — a point the company clarifies in its own account of its history.

• 2015

  In October, publisher Markus Hatzer and bookseller Markus Renk found Medici Buchhandels GmbH to take over the Wagner'sche Buchhandlung.

• 1723

  The title 'Universitätsbuchhandlung' is granted to Michael Anton Wagner.

• 1639

  Michael Wagner receives official permission from the sovereign to print and sell books, founding what becomes Tyrol's oldest bookshop.

• Markus Renk becomes sole managing director, steering the historic Innsbruck bookshop into a modern future.

Heritage-driven Austrian bookseller: steward of Tyrol's oldest bookshop, blending historic tradition with modern retail and events.

• Wagner'sche Buchhandlung online shop

  Online book retail with home delivery and in-store pickup.

• Museumstrasse departments

  Physical bookshop departments in Innsbruck.

1. 1Home - Wagnersche Buchhandlungwagnersche.at
2. 2Die Medici Holding - Wagnersche Buchhandlungwagnersche.at
3. 3Medici Buchhandels GmbH - Wikidatawikidata.org