Vergangenheitsverlag
Vergangenheitsverlag is a Berlin-based independent German publishing house (founded 2008, 1-10 employees) specializing in books on Nazi-era, DDR, and German memory culture, distributing through direct e-commerce, book trade, libraries, and Ciando e-books.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2008
- HeadquartersBerlin, Germany
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingDigital Commerce or Content
What Vergangenheitsverlag does
Vergangenheitsverlag is a privately held, Berlin-based independent publishing house founded in 2008 that specializes exclusively in German contemporary history and memory culture (Erinnerungskultur). Its catalog centers on the Nazi era, Holocaust research, DDR (East German) history, family histories of Nazi perpetrators, and Berlin regional history, organized into named series such as 'Zeit & Geschichte', 'Nationalsozialismus', 'Familiengeschichte(n)', 'Geschichtstouren für Entdecker', and 'Pamphletliteratur'. The portfolio consists of individual titles — academic monographs, biographies, photo books, documentary compilations, conference proceedings, and practical guides — authored by historians, journalists, and researchers including René Schlott, Stefanie Samida, Bernd Kessinger, and Alexander Schug, with selected titles co-produced with advocacy organizations and foundations such as the Forum für politisch verfolgte und inhaftierte Frauen der SBZ/DDR-Diktatur e.V. and the Cajewitz Stiftung.
The publisher operates without proprietary technology platforms or software products. Distribution is multi-channel: direct-to-consumer sales via its own e-commerce storefront at vergangenheitsverlag.de/shop (with free shipping and 7% VAT-inclusive EUR pricing between €14.99 and €24 per title), traditional German bookstore trade, library channels, and third-party e-book platforms including Ciando. Marketing is conducted through an integrated online magazine (Vergangenheitsmagazin) featuring author interviews and exhibition announcements, author readings and book presentations at venues across Germany and Austria, book-fair presence, and earned media coverage in outlets such as Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, Süddeutsche Zeitung, and ZEIT. The firm has 1-10 employees and serves a horizontal mix of individual history enthusiasts, academic researchers, educational institutions, and memorial sites (Gedenkstätten).
Commercially, Vergangenheitsverlag runs a one-time-purchase model across physical and digital book sales with no subscription, licensing, or recurring revenue component. No funding rounds, parent entities, subsidiaries, or M&A activity are recorded, and ownership structure is undisclosed. The business is positioned as a focused editorial niche operator rather than a scaled publishing platform, with growth dependent on catalog expansion (a 2025-2026 release slate includes titles on NS-Thingstätten, a Raul Hilberg biography, and transgenerational trauma) and continued institutional partnerships within the German historical-research and memory-culture ecosystem.
Vergangenheitsverlag firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Vergangenheitsverlag
- Legal name
- Vergangenheitsverlag
- Website
- https://vergangenheitsverlag.de
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2008
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Vergangenheitsverlag is a Berlin-based independent German publishing house (founded 2008, 1-10 employees) specializing in books on Nazi-era, DDR, and German memory culture, distributing through direct e-commerce, book trade, libraries, and Ciando e-books.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Vergangenheitsverlag industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Book Publishing
- NAICS
- Book Publishers (51313)
- SIC
- Books: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2731)
- akta.pro primary industry
- General Trade Publishing (Adult Fiction & Nonfiction) (MPAJAAAA)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Humanities & Arts Scholarly Publishing (EDAGAFAE), Lifestyle, Travel & Leisure Books Publishing (MPAJAAAH)
Keywords
Where Vergangenheitsverlag is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Berlin
- HQ country
- Germany
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Vergangenheitsverlag business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Digital Commerce or Content
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Personnel, Others
Revenue model
- Physical Book Sales: Sale of printed books through the publisher's own e-commerce platform and through book trade distribution channels. Prices range from 14.99€ to 24€ per title.
- E-book Sales: Digital versions of selected titles are available through third-party e-book platforms such as ciando.com, providing additional revenue from the same content.
- Book Trade Distribution: Distribution through bookstores and libraries, reaching customers through traditional retail channels alongside direct sales.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Standard book pricing for academic and historical nonfiction titles |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels5 records
Vergangenheitsverlag product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Vergangenheitsverlag is a small independent German publishing house based in Berlin that publishes and sells historical nonfiction books. Its catalog focuses on German contemporary history with particular emphasis on the Nazi era, DDR (East German) history, Holocaust research, transgenerational trauma, family histories, memory culture (Erinnerungskultur), and Berlin regional history. Titles are organized into series including Zeit & Geschichte, Nationalsozialismus, Familiengeschichte(n), Geschichtstouren für Entdecker, and Pamphletliteratur, sold as printed books via direct e-commerce, traditional book trade, libraries, and selected e-book platforms.
Product overview
Vergangenheitsverlag is a German historical publishing house specializing in books on German history, particularly focusing on National Socialism and the Holocaust, DDR (East German) history, family histories, and Berlin regional history. The publisher offers a diverse catalog of titles organized into series including 'Zeit & Geschichte' (Time & History), 'Nationalsozialismus' (National Socialism), 'Familiengeschichte(n)' (Family History), 'Geschichtstouren für Entdecker' (History Tours for Discoverers), and 'Pamphletliteratur' (Pamphlet Literature). The product portfolio consists primarily of individual book titles—academic monographs, biographies, documentations, and practical guides—rather than a unified software platform. Books are available as print editions with some offered as e-books through third-party platforms like Ciando.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Zwei Namen für ein Leben: Die Akte Willi Stoph
Companies that use Vergangenheitsverlag
Customer profileSegments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Vergangenheitsverlag technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Vergangenheitsverlag partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- Forum für politisch verfolgte und inhaftierte Frauen der SBZ/DDR-Diktatur e.V.coreThe Forum für politisch verfolgte und inhaftierte Frauen der SBZ/DDR-Diktatur e.V. (Forum for politically persecuted and imprisoned women of the SBZ/DDR dictatorship) is a key partner, serving as co-author of 'Die Frauen von Hoheneck' book. The organization represents women who were persecuted and imprisoned for political reasons in the Soviet Occupation Zone and DDR, advocating for acknowledgment, remembrance, and support of those affected, as well as educational work to make the history of political repression publicly visible.
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Vergangenheitsverlag competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Galiani Berlin: Berlin-based independent literary/nonfiction publisher with strong list of essays, history, and political nonfiction. Comparable Berlin base and target reader (educated general audience), though broader in scope than Vergangenheitsverlag.
- Aufbau Verlag: Large established German literary and nonfiction publisher with a substantial backlist covering GDR history, German-Jewish history, and contemporary political nonfiction. Operates in the same thematic space but at a much larger scale across a broader portfolio.
Direct peers
- Ch. Links Verlag: Berlin-based independent publisher covering German contemporary history, DDR, GDR oppositional movements, and memory culture. Direct overlap in editorial scope and customer base (libraries, universities, history readers).
- Wallstein Verlag: Göttingen-based independent German academic/trade publisher specializing in German contemporary history, Holocaust studies, DDR history, and Erinnerungskultur. Directly comparable in subject focus, catalog size, and target audience (academic libraries, historians, educated general readers).
- Edition Text + Kritik: Munich-based independent academic publisher covering cultural studies, humanities, and German intellectual history. Comparable in producing scholarly/academic-adjacent titles for libraries and university audiences in the German-speaking market.
- Droste Verlag: Düsseldorf-based independent publisher of German and European contemporary history, politics, and Erinnerungskultur. Directly comparable catalog focus and library/academic distribution orientation.
- Osburg Verlag: Berlin-based independent publisher with strong focus on contemporary German history, political non-fiction, and historical analysis. Comparable in editorial approach, target audience, and distribution channels (book trade, libraries).
- Metropol Verlag: Berlin-based independent publisher focused on German-Jewish history, anti-Semitism research, and contemporary history. Comparable niche specialization in Erinnerungskultur and academic/scholarly positioning.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Vergangenheitsverlag social profiles
Digital presenceVergangenheitsverlag financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Vergangenheitsverlag leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Vergangenheitsverlag funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Vergangenheitsverlag M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Vergangenheitsverlag
What does Vergangenheitsverlag do?
Vergangenheitsverlag is a small independent German publishing house based in Berlin that publishes and sells historical nonfiction books. Its catalog focuses on German contemporary history with particular emphasis on the Nazi era, DDR (East German) history, Holocaust research, transgenerational trauma, family histories, memory culture (Erinnerungskultur), and Berlin regional history. Titles are organized into series including Zeit & Geschichte, Nationalsozialismus, Familiengeschichte(n), Geschichtstouren für Entdecker, and Pamphletliteratur, sold as printed books via direct e-commerce, traditional book trade, libraries, and selected e-book platforms.
Is Vergangenheitsverlag a public or private company?
Vergangenheitsverlag is a private company. It is classified as unknown and is currently operating.
When was Vergangenheitsverlag founded?
Vergangenheitsverlag was founded in 2008. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Vergangenheitsverlag based?
Vergangenheitsverlag is headquartered in Berlin, Germany, in the Europe region.
How does Vergangenheitsverlag make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Physical Book Sales are the primary driver. The others are E-book Sales and book Trade Distribution.
Who are Vergangenheitsverlag's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Galiani Berlin and Aufbau Verlag. Direct peers are Ch. Links Verlag, Wallstein Verlag, Edition Text + Kritik, Droste Verlag, Osburg Verlag and Metropol Verlag.
Does Vergangenheitsverlag have an API?
No public API is recorded for Vergangenheitsverlag.
What industry is Vergangenheitsverlag in?
Vergangenheitsverlag's product category is Book Publishing. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAJAAAA, General Trade Publishing (Adult Fiction & Nonfiction), with a secondary code of EDAGAFAE, Humanities & Arts Scholarly Publishing. Its NAICS code is 51313 and its SIC code is 2731.