Haus Rissen Hamburg

What Haus Rissen Hamburg does

Haus Rissen Hamburg (legally: Gesellschaft für Politik und Wirtschaft e.V.) is an independent, non-partisan, non-profit educational institute founded in 1954 by Hamburg personalities from business, politics, science, and media to support democratic reorientation in post-WWII Germany. The institute operates from the Villa Rissen campus in Hamburg, comprising a historic event venue (capacity up to 300 persons), an adjacent 30-room guest house, and seminar facilities. It is supported by a Kuratorium chaired by Prof. Dr. Michael Otto, the largest individual donor contributing more than 10% of the annual budget.

The institute runs four business divisions: Political Youth Education (Politische Jugendbildung), Geo- and Security Policy Education (Geo- und Sicherheitspolitische Bildung), Guest House and Events (Gästehaus und Veranstaltungen), and Operations. Core offerings include interactive seminar formats, political simulation games (e.g., Breaking News, Was kostet die Welt?), the SVeN UN simulation programme, and the Nation & Du school project co-developed with Deutsche Nationalstiftung. Customer segments include the Bundeswehr (multiple units and ranks), corporations (e.g., HASPA, EWE NETZ), schools nationwide, and government institutions. Approximately 27 permanent staff are employed across the four divisions.

The business model is a balanced three-way revenue structure: roughly one-third each from seminar fees, guest house and event venue operations, and third-party funding (private donations, foundations such as Deutsche Nationalstiftung, Stiftung Würth, Michael Otto Foundation for Sustainability, and Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung, plus public funders). The annual financial need is approximately 2.3 million EUR, with two-thirds of costs attributable to personnel and building operations. Programmes for schools are typically offered free of charge thanks to foundation support, while public events are priced at 40 EUR per person and corporate/institutional training is quote-based. The organization holds WHH (Weiterbildung Hamburg) certification and has been publicly endorsed by the Federal Minister of Defense.

Name

Haus Rissen Hamburg

Legal name

Gesellschaft für Politik und Wirtschaft e.V.

Website

https://hausrissen.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1954

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Haus Rissen Hamburg is an independent, non-profit political and economic education institute founded in 1954, serving the Bundeswehr, schools, corporations, and government clients through seminars, simulations, and security policy programs from its Hamburg campus.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Political and Civic Education Services

NAICS

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (611310)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Model United Nations (MUN) (EDAMAGAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Virtual/Hybrid International Short-Term Academic Programs (EDAIAIAL), Government & Public Sector Conferences (MPAGAGAH)

Keywords

• Political education services
• Civic youth programs
• Security policy training
• Event venue rental
• Guesthouse accommodation

Headquarters

HQ city

Hamburg

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Seminar and educational program fees: Revenue generated from conducting political and security policy seminars, workshops, simulations, and educational programs for youth, adults, Bundeswehr, government officials, and corporate clients. Fees for public events are set at 40.00 EUR per person for food and beverages.
2. Guest house and event venue rental: Revenue from operating the Villa Rissen event venue (capacity up to 300 persons) and the 30-room guest house adjacent to the historic villa. The guest house and event hosting contribute approximately one-third of total annual revenue.
3. Third-party funding, donations, and grants: Approximately one-third of annual revenue comes from diverse supporters including private individuals (notably Prof. Dr. Michael Otto), foundations (Deutsche Nationalstiftung, Stiftung Würth, Michael Otto Foundation for Sustainability, Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung), and public funders. Additional income from donations, corporate contributions, and a funded awards program (Möglichmacher-Award).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Haus Rissen Hamburg (Gesellschaft für Politik und Wirtschaft e.V.) is a non-profit, independent political and economic education institute founded in 1954. It delivers simulation-based civic education programs for youth, security policy seminars for the Bundeswehr and corporate clients, and operates the historic Villa Rissen as a conference/event venue (up to 300 persons) with an adjacent 30-room guesthouse in Hamburg. Its offerings include the SVeN UN-simulation program, the Nation & Du school project, media literacy games (Breaking News), climate policy simulations, and tailored institutional seminars.

Product overview

HAUS RISSEN operates as a unified educational institution offering political and economic education programs centered around its Villa Rissen facility in Hamburg. The core portfolio consists of Politische Jugendbildung (youth political education) including seminars, simulation games, and civic participation programs; Geo- und Sicherheitspolitische Bildung (geopolitical and security policy education) for military and civilian audiences; and event services including room rentals and guesthouse accommodations. Key programs include SVeN (UN simulation), Breaking News media literacy game, climate negotiation simulations, and the Nation & Du school project. The institution also hosts exhibitions and special events, functioning as an integrated educational and event venue.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• SVeN - Simulation der Vereinten Nationen: A UN simulation program for youth where participants take on the roles of UN delegates to negotiate solutions for global challenges
• Erstwahlhelfer
• Nation & Du
• Breaking News

Quantifiable outcome

• Approximately 300 youth participants served through SVeN alone in school year 2025/26 (from 15 schools in three conferences)
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core, notable and minor.

• Deutsche NationalstiftungcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHAUS RISSEN and Deutsche Nationalstiftung jointly developed and operate the 'Nation & Du' project — a school program exploring nationhood, identity, and European coexistence through interactive workshops set in the context of the fall of the Berlin Wall (1989). The foundation was established in 1993 by figures including former Chancellor Helmut Schmidt.
• Konrad-Adenauer-StiftungnotableStrategic or Co-development PartnerOn invitation from the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung, HAUS RISSEN's Enrico Liedtke moderated the discussion 'Geopolitisches Europa – was wir für unsere Sicherheit und unseren Wohlstand tun können' at the Patrioten Gesellschaft. The event was funded by the Federal Republic of Germany and the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg.
• Weiterbildung Hamburg e.V.minorGTM or Marketing PartnerHAUS RISSEN is a member of Weiterbildung Hamburg e.V. (WHH), which certifies and promotes its educational offerings, enhancing credibility and visibility within the Hamburg adult and continuing education ecosystem.
• Bundesverband Deutscher StiftungenminorGTM or Marketing PartnerHAUS RISSEN is a member of the German Federal Association of Foundations (Bundesverband Deutscher Stiftungen), providing networking opportunities with the German foundation community and potential funding partners.
• DGAP (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Auswärtige Politik)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerHAUS RISSEN is a member of DGAP, Germany's leading foreign policy think tank, connecting the organization with the academic and policy-making community in international politics.
• BÖB Bündnis Ökonomische BildungminorGTM or Marketing PartnerHAUS RISSEN is a member of the Alliance for Economic Education (BÖB), supporting its mission to promote economic and political literacy in schools.
• Netzwerk Stiftungen und BildungminorGTM or Marketing PartnerHAUS RISSEN participates in the 'Netzwerk Stiftungen und Bildung' (Network of Foundations and Education), a consortium of foundations supporting educational initiatives in Germany.
• Partner Schools (Nation & Du)notableChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorHAUS RISSEN works with a network of partner schools for the Nation & Du project, including Berufliche Schule St. Pauli, Bismarckschule Elmshorn, Geschwister-Scholl-Stadtteilschule, Gymnasium Bondenwald, Gymnasium Blankenese, Gymnasium Rissen, Jenisch Gymnasium, Johann-Rist Gymnasium Wedel, Louise Weiss Gymnasium, Marion Dönhoff-Gymnasium, Sankt Ansgar Schule, Stadtteilschule Horn, Stadtteilschule Lurup, Stadtteilschule Nelson Mandela, Stadtteilschule Öjendorf, and Verwaltungsschule ZAF. Schools co-host workshops and facilitate student participation.
• Katharina Fegebank (Schirmherrin SVeN)notableGTM or Marketing PartnerKatharina Fegebank, Second Mayor of the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg, serves as patron (Schirmherrin) of the SVeN project (Simulation of the United Nations), lending institutional prestige and political visibility to the youth diplomacy program.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung (FES): Major German political foundation affiliated with the SPD, delivering civic and political education programs in Germany and more than 100 countries. Closely comparable to Haus Rissen in mission and audience, but with much larger scope and global footprint.
• Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung (KAS): Major German political foundation affiliated with the CDU, running national and international programs in civic and political education. Significantly larger scale than Haus Rissen, with a broader portfolio of programs, but overlapping mission and substantive collaboration with Haus Rissen already documented.
• Bundeszentrale für politische Bildung (bpb): German federal agency for civic education, providing nationwide political education resources, materials, programs, and grants. Functions as a public-sector counterpart to Haus Rissen's civic education work and supplies much of the public-funding landscape in which Haus Rissen operates.
• Stiftung Wissenschaft und Politik (SWP): Berlin-based policy think tank delivering foreign and security policy research. Comparable to Haus Rissen's Geo- und Sicherheitspolitische Bildung in topic area but focused on policy research and analysis rather than direct educational delivery, functioning more as upstream content partner than competitor.
• Bertelsmann Stiftung: Germany's largest private foundation, operating major educational, economic, and democratic programs. Broader portfolio and far larger scale than Haus Rissen, but with overlapping focus on civic, democratic, and educational programming across Germany and Europe.
• Körber-Stiftung: Major Hamburg-based civic foundation running educational, scientific, and international dialogue programs. Geographic proximity to Haus Rissen and overlapping civic education mission; both operate from Hamburg and engage German schools and foundations, making it a natural institutional peer.
• Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung: German political foundation affiliated with the Greens, running political education programs domestically and abroad. Closely comparable to Haus Rissen in mission of democratic and civic education, with similar foundation-supported programming patterns at much larger national and international scale.

Direct peers

• National Model United Nations (NMUN): Global MUN organization running multi-day UN simulations, primarily in New York and Washington. Directly comparable to Haus Rissen's SVeN program in conference format and educational mission, although NMUN targets university students globally while SVeN focuses on German secondary school students.
• Deutsche Gesellschaft für Auswärtige Politik (DGAP): Germany's leading foreign policy think tank, based in Berlin. Haus Rissen is a member of DGAP and both organizations conduct policy and security education, host high-profile public events, and engage stakeholders on geopolitical issues. DGAP is broader in policy research; Haus Rissen is more delivery-focused on educational programs.
• Atlantische Akademie für Sicherheitspolitik: Independent political education institute in Germany focused on transatlantic security policy. Closely comparable in scope and audience to Haus Rissen's Geo- und Sicherheitspolitische Bildung division, delivering security policy seminars for military, governmental, and civilian audiences in a similar operational model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/gesellschaft-f%C3%BCr-politik-und-wirtschaft-e-v
• Instagraminstagram.com/haus_rissen
• Xx.com/HausRissen

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Haus Rissen Hamburg