1838

The bookseller George Westermann (1810-1879), from Leipzig, establishes the publishing house in his name in Braunschweig on 21st May 1838.

1845

 Foundation of the Westermann printing house.

1847

Westermann Druck (the printing house) completes its first external commission.

The bookseller Ferdinand Schöningh (1815-1883) starts his own book and art dealing business in Paderborn, which bears witness to a strong Catholic influence. Since 2002 the textbook division of the business belongs to the Westermann Gruppe.

1849

Westermann begins to concern itself with modern languages, which are slowly gaining ground in schools.

1850

Schöningh expands its textbook range, predominantly for Gymnasien. Key subject areas include: Classical Languages, History, Geography and German.

Louis Schroedel (1823-1884) becomes a partner in the Kümmelschen publishing house and retail bookshop in Halle / Saale (est. 1792) and by 1863 he is the sole owner. In 2002 the publishing house becomes part of the Westermann Gruppe.

1854

George Westermann is one of the first cartographic publishers to adopt colour printing for the production of maps instead of colouring them by hand. This became a field of innovation for the printing house.

1860

The bookseller Carl Theodor Moritz Diesterweg  (1834-1906), from Berlin, purchases the Jo. Chr. Hermannsche booksellers in Frankfurt and from 1873 onwards concentrates entirely on book publishing. The publishing house later takes his name. In 2002, the firm joins the Westermann Gruppe.

1864

The Westermann printing house makes the transition from manual to steam-powered labour.

1869/70

Alongside the lithographer and cartographer Eduard Gaebler, from Leipzig, Westermann develops a method for the cost-effective and large-scale production of maps with use of the high-speed printing press.

1885

Hermann Ludwig Schroedel (1864-1943) assumes control of the publishing division of his father’s company. Under his name, the company grows to reach beyond Saxony. It produces learning materials for the primary and intermediate school years, as well as specialist journals and youth literature.

1891

Under the name Wilhelm Schweizer, a factory producing paper, cardboard packaging and filing equipment for schools is founded in Winterthur, Switzerland; this will later become SCHUBI Lernmedien GmbH. By 1900 the company can offer its own published range, which includes learning materials for schools. In 2002 the company joins the Westermann Gruppe.

1902

The government clerk and shorthand teacher, Michael Winkler (1878-1965), from Hessen, establishes his “Stenografisches Institut” (Shorthand Institute) – later Winklers Verlag – in Darmstadt.  The company is sold to the Westermann Gruppe in 1998.

1902

Westermann develops new regional editions of atlases for the primary and intermediate school years, each adapted to meet local educational requirements.

1903

Westermann Druck establishes a lithography department.

1906

After the death of Moritz Diesterweg and his son, the bookseller and German philologist, Erich Herbst, takes over the small publishing house with its four staff and makes it into one of the largest in the sector.

1912

Westermann moves into the newly-built publishing house on the edge of Braunschweig—today number 66 on the Georg-Westermann-Allee.

At the Westermann printing house, offset printing begins with an offset printing press produced by the Frakenthal engineering factory (Format 75x100 cm). The first foray into mechanical typesetting is achieved with a double magazine linotype made by the firm Mergenthaler.

1914

Westermann begins to expand its range for primary schools.

1917

After the purchase of the Alfred Janssen publishing house in Hamburg, Westermann revises its range. It gains a new and modern divisional structure.

1921

The Jugend & Volk publishing house (based in Vienna) is founded as a result of a joint initiative between the city’s council and the Gerlach and Wiedlich publishing houses in order to implement the period’s great school reforms. Alongside this, a range of youth literature and art books is established.  Since 2012 the company belongs to the Westermann Gruppe.

1923

Heinrich and August Grimm assume control of Michael Winkler’s firm. It is now called Winklers Verlag, Gebrüder Grimm (Winklers Publishing House, Brothers Grimm).

1925

Diesterweg has become a significant player in the market.  Areas of focus include Deutschkunde (a German-centred approach to all subjects), Modern Languages with an extensive accompanying reading range, Protestant Religion and textbooks for Prussian secondary schools. Diesterweg takes over some smaller publishing houses from 1912-24.

1929

Winklers now also offers books on typewriting and produces shorthand journals.

1931

With the purchase of the Otto Salle publishing house, Berlin, Diesterweg adds a maths and science element to its profile.

1932

Westermann takes over the significant cartographical publishers, Carl Flemming & Wiscott, based in Glogau, and strengthens its position in the non-educational maps market.

1933

Westermann, Schroedel and Diesterweg continue to participate in the educational publishing market, despite it being increasingly limited, until the end of the war by producing textbooks approved by the National Socialist regime.

1937

Schroedel becomes a part-owner of the Ferdinand Hirt Verlag, based in Breslau and Leipzig, at that time probably the biggest publisher in the educational sector.

1938

The Winklers range is expanded to include standard commercial subjects like business economics, bookkeeping and secretarial studies.

1940

As a result of a takeover by Franz Schubiger there is now the SCHUBI Lernmedien AG. Its learning materials are well-established in Swiss schools. The firm has had international contacts since the 1920s.

1943

After the National Socialist regime takes control of newspapers, confiscates assets, enacts various bans and pulps books, Schöningh is forced to cease production. The last textbook to be approved is produced in 1934.

1945

Schöningh is one of the first publishing houses to be licensed by the allied military forces. The scholarly and educational publishing house concentrates on its recovery. Its Catholic connection is set aside.

1946

After the Westermann publishing house is granted a license, there are no more impediments to its plans to develop a broad educational range. The company turns its attention to new periodicals, an expanded range of school subjects and vocational training. First of all, the British zone of occupation will be supplied with school books.

1948

The recovery of Diesterweg in Frankfurt begins. By 1950 the range consists of 44 school textbooks.

After the seizure of the publishing house in Halle and the flight of the owners, Schroedel is re-established in Wolfenbüttel; operations will take place in Hanover after 1949.

1949

George Popp (1928-2004) founds the Arena Verlag in Würzburg, a publishing house for children’s and youth literature. This is sold to Westermann in 1979.

1951

As a result of its own products and its cooperation with other renowned publishing houses, Schroedel becomes a provider of educational materials for all mainstream German schools and subjects.

1985

Arena offers the first paperback range for children and teenagers in the Federal Republic of Germany.

1959

In the Westermann printing house, electronic machines revolutionize the reproduction of images, until now achieved by photomechanical processes.  Result: the process becomes 15 times faster.

1960s

Diesterweg achieves lasting success, particularly in the subjects History, German as a foreign language, Religious Education, Music, Chemistry and Modern Languages, and it establishes itself in primary and specialist Schools.

1964/65

Classic examples of modern didactic theory for the subjects German and History feature in Schöningh’s expanded textbook range for secondary schools.

around 1966

The success of Westermann’s textbooks and learning materials mean it can finally be regarded as one of the dominant firms in the sector, even without taking its map-related products into account. The publishing of fictional literature stops.

1968

Westermann takes over an educational booksellers founded by Heinz Vogel (1919-1980) in 1951 in Wilhelmshaven—since 1988 the Westermann Lernspielverlag.

1970

Winklers offers one of the first basic works for Data Processing, which was a new subject back then. Due to the strong differentiation within vocational job profiles and the new training professions, the range has expanded far beyond the core commercial subjects.

1971

The Spectra Lehrmittel-Verlag is founded by Franz-Josef Kuhn. In 1990 the Logo-Lernspiel-Verlag is also established, with special focus on primary and infant education and learning support. Both join Schroedel in 1998, then Westermann in 2002.

1973

Foundation of the Georg Westermann Verlagsgesellschaft GmbH in Vienna – today called Westermann Wien.

1977/78

The Westermann printing house concentrates on offset printing and considerably expands its printing capacity. The new production hall gains its first four-colour roll offset printing machine.

1979

Westermann buys the Arena publishing house.

1982

Westermann‘s internal delivery service is expanded to offer services to the free market. It is named the VSB Verlagsservice Braunschweig.

Schroedel becomes part of the Georg von Holtzbrinck publishing group.

1983

One of Diesterweg’s brand names is devoted to the development of innovative works for primary education.

1983/84

Creation of the first Westermann software department.

1986

The Westermann firms are incorporated into the Medien-Union, Ludwigshafen.

1987

Arena takes over the children’s and youth literature department of the Zurich –based Benziger publishing house.

1989

Foundation of the E. Dorner publishing house in Vienna. In 1995 the company joins the Georg von Holtzbrinck group and Schroedel; since 2002 belongs to Westermann. Since 2003 E. Dorner is responsible for the Westermann Wien range and manages the publishing house Jugend & Volk since 2012.

1990

With the privatization of the Chemnitz regional newspaper, “Freie Presse” (The Free Press), the Druckerei Grafische Werke Zwickau, a printing house, enters the Westermann Gruppe. Since 1994 it is called Westermann Druck Zwickau.

1991

Westermann begins to work on computerized cartography.

1992

The educational division of the J.B. Metzler publishing house is integrated into the Schroedel range, as is the educational division of the Paul List publishing house.

Westermann becomes active in Central Europe and is party to cooperative projects and investments in the educational sector, predominantly in Poland and Hungary. Dinasztia GmbH has been part of the Westermann Gruppe since 2002; it was founded in 1996 in Budapest.

1995

Diesterweg now belongs to the Georg von Holtzbrinck publishing group.

Schöningh expands it range for the primary education sector.

1998

Winklers publishing house is sold to the Westermann Gruppe.

Westermann Druck in Braunschweig acquires a computer-to-plate exposure system and is expanded to become a fully-integrated, comprehensive service provider.

2001

SCHUBI joins the Holtzbrinck group; one year later it joins Westermann.

2002

Westermann takes over the educational division of Schöningh.

The Holtzbrink group network of educational book and media publishers moves to Westermann. In 2004, part of the network forms the Bildungshaus Schulbuchverlage Westermann Schroedel Diesterweg Schöningh Winklers GmbH, based in Braunschweig.

ADVESCO Learning Systems, based in Schaffhausen, now belongs to the Westermann Gruppe. The company, founded in 1990 by the executives of SCHUBI, develops electronic learning media, in particular for the vocational and professional training sector.

2004

The pva, Druck und Medien-Dienstleistungen GmbH in Landau joins the Westermann Gruppe; it was founded in 1898 as an internal printing house of a southwestern German publishing firm.

2008

Westermann Druck, Braunschweig, enters the digital printing market.

2011

Foundation of the “Akademie Frühe Bildung” (Academy of Early Education) by the educational book and game publishers in the Gruppe. It meets the educational needs of the nursery, pre-school and primary school sector. 

2012/13

The Bildungsverlag Eins, Cologne, formed as the result of a merger of seven publishers in 2001, also joins the Gruppe. From 2014 onwards the vocational side of the Gruppe’s business is concentrated in Cologne.

2015

The German publishing companies of early learning material in the Westermann group are merging. Westermann Lernspielverlag, LOGO Lern-Spiel-Verlag, Spectra Lehrmittel-Verlag and Schubi Lernmedien-Verlag will now operate from Braunschweig under the name of Westermann Lernspielverlage. From 2018 they operate under the name Georg Westermann Verlag.

The Westermann Gruppe acquires Audio Media Verlag, a Munich-based firm specialising in audio books for all ages. The company, founded in 2004, retains its headquarters in Munich. In 2019, the company closes the Audio Media publishing house and sells the assets to the Danish publisher Saga.

2017

On 1st June, the Westermann Gruppe established the Westermann Schulverlag Schweiz AG. The new publishing company is based in Schaffhausen. Its objective is to further extend the area of textbook publishing in Switzerland.

2018

On February, Westermann Gruppe takes over the London-based educational software developer Blue Duck Education, a company specialized in digital game-based learning in mathematics. Blue Duck Education has developed the maths learning system Mangahigh.com, which is marketed to primary and secondary schools the world over. With this purchase, the Westermann Gruppe advances their plan for internationalisation a step further.