The Fritz Bauer Institute

What The Fritz Bauer Institute does

The Fritz Bauer Institute is an independent, non-profit research and educational foundation (Stiftung des bürgerlichen Rechts) founded in 1995 and headquartered in the historic IG Farben-Haus on the Campus Westend of Goethe-Universität Frankfurt am Main, Germany. Named after Fritz Bauer — the Frankfurt state prosecutor central to the Frankfurt Auschwitz trial (1963–1965) — the institute conducts research, teaching, knowledge transfer, and commemoration focused on the history and impact of the Holocaust. Its operations span a scientific special library of approximately 17,000 volumes, an archive of institutional and personal papers, survivor testimony collections, and the Norbert Wollheim Memorial (opened 2008) dedicated to forced laborers of IG Farben at Buna-Monowitz.

The institute's product surface is built around digital humanities infrastructure rather than commercial software: the Norbert Wollheim Memorial online platform, audio recordings of the Auschwitz trial (Tonmitschnitte), the Cinematographie des Holocaust digital archive, an OPAC-integrated library catalog, and 10 online Unterrichtsmodule for school-based Holocaust education. It maintains three scholarly publication series (Reihe Studien, Kleine Reihe, and the annual Bulletin Einsicht) plus a Konfrontationen pedagogical series, and runs the Verunsichernde Orte continuing-education program for memorial site educators. The institute integrates with the USC Shoah Foundation Visual History Archive and the Fortunoff Video Archive for Holocaust Testimonies (Yale) via dedicated on-site workstations.

Its business model is non-commercial: the institute is publicly and institutionally funded (Goethe-Universität host infrastructure, public appropriations, foundation grants including the Hans und Berthold Finkelstein Stiftung for doctoral stipends), with marginal revenue from publication and DVD sales (€5 per DVD; €15–€24.90 per book). Go-to-market is event- and content-driven — public lectures, seminars, exhibitions, monthly memorial tours, professional development for educators, and digital content dissemination via website, newsletter, YouTube, Bluesky, Mastodon, and Facebook. Primary customer segments are academic researchers, school and memorial site educators, and the general public; the institute also serves as the German node within the EHRI-DE consortium of the European Holocaust Research Infrastructure (EHRI-ERIC, launched January 2025).

Name

The Fritz Bauer Institute

Legal name

Fritz Bauer Institut – Stiftung des bürgerlichen Rechts, Frankfurt am Main

Website

https://fritz-bauer-institut.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1995

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Fritz Bauer Institute is an independent non-profit research and educational foundation, founded 1995 in Frankfurt am Main, that studies and teaches the history of the Holocaust through a specialized library, archive, digital memorial platforms, scholarly publications, and teacher training programs, serving academic researchers, educators, and the general public.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Holocaust Research and Education

NAICS

Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities (54172), Educational Services (611), Libraries and Archives (519210), Historical Sites (71212), Museums (71211)

SIC

Books: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2731), Periodicals: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2721), Services-Educational Services (8200), Miscellaneous Publishing (2741)

akta.pro primary industry

Education Research & Pedagogy Scholarly Publishing (EDAGAFAH)

Keywords

• Holocaust research
• Holocaust education
• Archival documentation
• Survivor testimonies
• Memorial pedagogy

Headquarters

HQ city

Frankfurt

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Foundation and Institutional Funding: As a Stiftung des bürgerlichen Rechts (foundation under civil law) based at Goethe-Universität Frankfurt, the institute receives institutional funding from public and private sources including support from foundations such as the Hans und Berthold Finkelstein Stiftung for research stipends.
2. Publication Sales: Sale of educational materials, DVDs containing survivor testimonies (priced at €5 per DVD), books (ranging from €15-€24.90), and educational publications. The Konfrontationen series and other pedagogical materials are available for purchase.
3. Educational Services: Revenue from training programs and continuing education for teachers and educators, including the Verunsichernde Orte professional development program in memorial site pedagogy.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Fritz Bauer Institute is an independent research and educational foundation that conducts and disseminates scholarly work on the history and impact of the Holocaust. Its core offerings include a specialized library of approximately 17,000 volumes, an archive of survivor testimonies and related documents, several scholarly publication series, online teaching modules, DVD collections of survivor interviews, digital memorial resources (Norbert Wollheim Memorial, Auschwitz trial audio recordings, Holocaust cinematography), and continuing education programs for educators and memorial site staff.

Product overview

The Fritz Bauer Institute is a research and educational institution dedicated to the history and impact of the Holocaust, operating as a unified research institute rather than a product company. Its offerings encompass academic research and teaching, an archive and library with approximately 17,000 volumes, diverse publication series (the Einsicht bulletin, Studienreihe monographs, and Kleine Reihe paperbacks), educational materials including online teaching modules, video testimony collections on DVD, and digital formats. Key digital resources include the Norbert Wollheim Memorial, audio recordings from the Auschwitz trial, Holocaust cinematography documentation, and the Fritz Bauer biographical digital format. The institute also manages the Verunsichernde Orte continuing education program for memorial site pedagogy. These offerings are interconnected through the institute's core mission of historical research, educational transfer, and commemoration.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Online Teaching Modules (Unterrichtsmodule) Ten online educational modules for engaging with Holocaust history in classroom settings, covering topics such as the VVN, forced labor for IG Farben, antisemitism post-1945, Fritz Bauer's biography, Jewish youth during National Socialism, resistance rights, and memory culture. Designed for school teachers and educators.
• Zeitzeugeninterviews auf DVD (Survivor Video Testimonies) DVD collection of survivor testimonies featuring eight Holocaust survivors and witnesses sharing their personal memories, including titles by Dorothy Baer, Marianne Schwab, Martha and Erwin Hirsch, Herbert Rollwage, Ruth Lion, and Bernhard Natt. Priced at €5 per DVD. Produced for educational and archival use.
• Norbert Wollheim Memorial Digital Platform Digital memorial and information platform about forced laborers of IG Farben at concentration camp Buna-Monowitz (Auschwitz III), located on the campus of Goethe University Frankfurt. Includes 24 video interviews with survivors and comprehensive informational materials.
• Fritz Bauer. Der Staatsanwalt (Digital Biography) Digital online format documenting the life and work of Fritz Bauer, the Frankfurt state prosecutor who initiated the Frankfurt Auschwitz trial. Made available for research and educational purposes.
• Tonmitschnitte Auschwitz-Prozess (Auschwitz Trial Audio Recordings) Audio recordings from the Frankfurt Auschwitz trial (1963-1965), providing primary source documentation of the proceedings for research and educational use.
• Cinematographie des Holocaust Digital Archive Digital online format documenting cinematography related to the Holocaust, providing visual primary source documentation for research and education.
• Bulletin Einsicht (Annual Bulletin) Annual bulletin of the Fritz Bauer Institute featuring scholarly articles and research findings on Holocaust history and its aftermath. Published as part of the institute's ongoing publication program.
• Reihe Studien (Monograph Series) Scholarly monographs published as part of the institute's main publication series, covering Holocaust history and related contemporary history topics.
• Kleine Reihe (Paperback Series) Compact publication series providing accessible scholarly works on Holocaust-related topics, priced between €15-€24.90 per volume.
• Verunsichernde Orte (Continuing Education Program) Professional development program for educators and memorial site staff, offering seminars and consultations on memorial site pedagogy and political-historical education at NS-Gedenkstätten and other educational institutions.
• Specialized Library (Bibliothek) Reference library (Präsenzbibliothek) with approximately 17,000 volumes covering Holocaust research literature, survivor testimonies, NS-past processing documentation, and judicial accountability of Nazi crimes. No lending services; available for on-site and OPAC catalog access.
• Archive Services (Archiv) Archive preserving institutional documents, collections of state and private institutions, personal papers of contemporary witnesses and researchers, and images, film, audio, and publications related to the Holocaust. Access provided on-site by appointment and through remote inquiry services.

Quantifiable outcome

• The institute provides access to Holocaust documentation for researchers and educators through its archive, library, and digital platforms
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

20 partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• EHRI-DE Consortium (European Holocaust Research Infrastructure)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026The Fritz Bauer Institute has been a member of the EHRI-DE consortium (German node of the European Holocaust Research Infrastructure) since 2026. The consortium focuses on establishing sustainable connections to EHRI-ERIC, expanding the research network, linking archival metadata, and promoting science communication in Holocaust research across Germany.
• USC Shoah Foundation - Visual History ArchivecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe archive is a cooperation partner of the Visual History Archive at the University of Southern California Shoah Foundation. Special workstations at the institute allow access to the video collections of survivor testimonies from the Holocaust.
• Fortunoff Video Archive for Holocaust Testimonies, Yale UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe archive cooperates with the Fortunoff Video Archive at Yale University, another major collection of Holocaust survivor testimonies. Access is provided through dedicated workstations at the institute.
• Federal Archives (Bundesarchiv)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in the EHRI-DE consortium focusing on establishing sustainable connections to European Holocaust research infrastructure and expanding the archival network in Germany.
• Arolsen Archives - International Center on Nazi PersecutioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEHRI-DE consortium partner working on Holocaust documentation and research infrastructure, providing access to records on Nazi persecution and forced labor.
• German Exile Archive 1933–1945coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEHRI-DE consortium partner focusing on documentation of German exile during the Nazi period and related Holocaust research.
• Leibniz Institute for the History and Culture of Eastern Europe (GWZO)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEHRI-DE consortium partner contributing expertise on Eastern European history and culture relevant to Holocaust research.
• Center for Holocaust Studies at Institute for Contemporary HistorycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoordinates the EHRI-DE consortium activities, focusing on establishing connections to European research infrastructure and science communication in Holocaust studies.
• EHRI-ERIC (European Research Infrastructure Consortium)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe European Holocaust Research Infrastructure ERIC, launched January 26, 2025, at POLIN Museum in Warsaw, with 11 founding member states (Germany, Austria, Israel, UK, Belgium, Poland, Czech Republic, Netherlands, Romania, Slovakia, Croatia). Fritz Bauer Institute participates through the German national node.
• Goethe-Universität Frankfurt am MaincoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHost institution providing academic infrastructure, faculty connections, and university affiliation for the institute's research and educational programs.
• Jüdisches Museum der Stadt Frankfurt am MaincoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-standing cooperation partner in educational programming and Holocaust commemoration, including joint publication projects with the Pädagogisches Zentrum.
• Bildungsstätte Anne FrankcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegular cooperation partner in educational initiatives and programs for historical-political education, including event collaborations.
• United States Holocaust Memorial MuseummajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational cooperation partner in Holocaust documentation and research at the global level.
• Leo Baeck Institute (New York/Berlin)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational cooperation in Jewish history research and documentation, with offices in both New York and Berlin.
• KZ-Gedenkstätten Buchenwald und Mittelbau-DoramajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with concentration camp memorial sites for educational programs and research on Holocaust history.
• KZ-Gedenkstätte DachaumajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCooperation with Dachau memorial site for educational programs and historical research.
• POLIN Museum, WarsawmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHost institution for the EHRI-ERIC launch in January 2025, representing a key European partner in Holocaust research.
• AsKI – Arbeitskreis selbständiger Kultur-Institute e.V.minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMembership in the working group of independent cultural institutes in Bonn.
• Arbeitsstelle Holocaustliteratur, GießenminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCooperation agreement partner focusing on Holocaust literature research.
• Eintracht Museum GmbHminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCultural partnership with the Eintracht Frankfurt museum for historical education.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Jewish Museum Berlin: Major Berlin-based museum covering German-Jewish history with a strong permanent Holocaust exhibition. Broader in scope (two millennia of Jewish history) but overlapping in audience, exhibition programming, and educational mission.
• Yad Vashem - The World Holocaust Remembrance Center: Israel's official Holocaust memorial and research institution, operating a vast archive, museum, and educational programs. Yad Vashem is the global benchmark in the field and a major partner/competitor for scholarly recognition, archival collection scale, and digital Holocaust education.
• United States Holocaust Memorial Museum (USHMM): U.S. federal institution operating a major museum, archive, and educational programming on the Holocaust. The Fritz Bauer Institute already partners with USHMM and competes for the same pool of international researchers, donors, and policy attention.

Direct peers

• Leo Baeck Institute: New York/Berlin-based research institution dedicated to the history of German-speaking Jewry. Already a strategic partner of the Fritz Bauer Institute; comparable in archival focus, scholarly publications, and international research mission.
• Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum: Polish state museum operating the Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial and Museum at the historical site. Comparable in memorial management, educational programming, and audio/visual testimony collection — and a primary stakeholder in research on IG Farben and Buna-Monowitz.
• Bildungsstätte Anne Frank: Frankfurt-based institution for political-historische Bildung (civic-historical education), regularly cooperating with the Fritz Bauer Institute on Holocaust education programs. Directly comparable in target audience, pedagogical mission, and German civic education market.
• Wiener Holocaust Library: London-based Holocaust research institute and archive founded in 1933, with a comparable mix of research library, archive, exhibition programming, and educational outreach. Closely comparable in scale, mission, and target audience to the Fritz Bauer Institute.
• POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews: Warsaw-based museum and research center on the history of Polish Jews, host of the EHRI-ERIC launch in January 2025. Comparable as a Holocaust/Jewish history museum with research, exhibition, and educational programs targeting overlapping academic and public audiences.
• Arolsen Archives - International Center on Nazi Persecution: International archive on Nazi persecution, forced labor, and Holocaust documentation, based in Bad Arolsen. EHRI-DE consortium partner with overlapping archival holdings on forced labor at IG Farben and Buna-Monowitz — directly comparable to the Norbert Wollheim Memorial.
• Center for Holocaust Studies at the Institute for Contemporary History (IfZ): Munich-based research center coordinating the EHRI-DE consortium, focused on Holocaust history and NS-era studies. Direct overlap in scholarly output, doctoral training, and German national research infrastructure coordination.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/fritzbauerinstitutfrankfurt
• Facebookfacebook.com/fritz.bauer.institut
• Xx.com/fritzbauerinst
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/fritz-bauer-institut

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about The Fritz Bauer Institute