Akademie Biggesee gGmbH

What Akademie Biggesee gGmbH does

Akademie Biggesee gGmbH is a registered non-profit political education institution (gemeinnützige GmbH) headquartered in Attendorn, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Founded in 1981 as the institutional successor to the Seminar für Staatsbürgerkunde e.V. (1974), the academy operates a residential conference facility offering political education seminars, workshops, and educational vacations. Its core technology is a dialogue-based pedagogical methodology rooted in Christian values, combining theoretical civic knowledge with experiential democratic learning. The portfolio spans a Seminarprogramm (open seminars on democracy, European affairs, and social issues), Tagungsangebot (full-service conference hosting with accommodation, dining, and meeting rooms), Bildungsurlaube (multi-day educational vacations), inclusive seminars for people with disabilities, and a long-standing German-Chinese youth exchange with partner schools in Qingdao.

The business model is a hybrid of fee-for-service seminar and conference revenue, supplemented by state subsidies, EU program grants (notably a €4.4M EFRE/JTF capital grant for building renovation), and modest donations. Direct-to-consumer booking is conducted via website, phone, and email, with no intermediary distribution channels. Customer segments are horizontally diversified across German companies sending apprentices, Bundeswehr personnel, schools, individuals seeking political engagement, people with disabilities, social/pedagogical professionals, and associations. Pricing is structured around full-board multi-day seminar packages and per-person day rates (Tagespauschale), with deposit requirements and tiered cancellation policies.

The organization maintains G\u00fctesiegel Weiterbildung quality certification and first-time BNE certification (Education for Sustainable Development, 2024). It is a member of @ba (Arbeitskreis der Bildungsstätten und Akademien in NRW) and AdB (Arbeitskreis deutscher Bildungsstätten), with the current director serving as @ba chair since November 2024. Operations are led by a small team of 1-10 listed staff plus kitchen personnel, governed by a supervisory board chaired by Arndt Kirchhoff.

Name

Akademie Biggesee gGmbH

Legal name

Akademie Biggesee gGmbH

Website

https://akademie-biggesee.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1981

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Akademie Biggesee gGmbH is a German non-profit political education institution in Attendorn, NRW, offering residential seminars, civic workshops, and conference services for companies, apprentices, schools, Bundeswehr, disability organizations, and engaged citizens under a Christian values framework.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Political Education and Civic Training Services

NAICS

Educational Services (611), Other Schools and Instruction (6116), Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Online/Hybrid Lifelong Learning Platforms & Open Enrollment Programs (EDAAAEAL)

akta.pro secondary industry

Social Studies & Civics Instruction (School-Delivered) (EDAJAFAI)

Keywords

• Political education services
• Civic engagement training
• Conference venue rental
• Continuing education seminars
• Inclusive education programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Attendorn, Nordrhein-Westfalen

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Others, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Seminar Fees: Revenue from political education seminars for individuals and groups, including full board and accommodation in double rooms. Pricing varies by program type and duration.
2. Conference Facilities: Day rate (Tagespauschale) revenue from hosting external events, meetings, and conferences with catering and room rental services.
3. Government Funding: Receives public funding including €4.4 million EFRE/JTF grant for energy-efficient building renovation. State subsidies support operational costs.
4. Donations and Sponsorships: Receives donations from organizations like Lions Club Olpe-Kurköln (€5,000) and Volksbank Sauerland (defibrillator donation) to support programs.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Akademie Biggesee gGmbH is a Christian-values-based political education institution that develops, organizes, and delivers civic and democratic education seminars, workshops, and educational vacations at its residential facility in Attendorn. The academy supplements its educational programming with full-service conference and venue hire (rooms, catering, AV equipment) for external organizations hosting events, along with a German-Chinese youth exchange program and inclusive seminars tailored for participants with disabilities.

Product overview

Akademie Biggesee gGmbH is a political education institution (Bildungsstätte für politische Bildung) offering a unified portfolio of educational services. The core offering consists of political education seminars and workshops (Seminarprogramm) delivered at their conference facility, complemented by overnight accommodation, dining services, and seminar room rentals (Tagungsangebot). The institution also provides specialized programs including youth exchanges with China, inclusive seminars for people with disabilities, and training for apprentices and political activists. All offerings are delivered under a Christian values framework and are supported by quality certifications including Gütesiegel Weiterbildung and BNE-Zertifizierung.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Seminarprogramm (Political Education Seminar Program) Political education seminars and workshops covering topics such as democracy, civic engagement, European affairs, and social issues. Open to individuals, organizations, and company-sponsored participants. Delivered as multi-day residential programmes at the academy's Biggesee facility.
• Tagungsangebot (Conference and Venue Hire Services)

Named customers5 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Hof BelkecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHof Belke in Attendorn-Milstenau is a BNE Regionalzentrum (Regional Center for Education for Sustainable Development) in Kreis Olpe since April 2024. Partnership involves environmental education, farm education, and forest pedagogy integrated into Academy programs and educational vacations.
• @ba (Arbeitskreis der Bildungsstätten und Akademien in NRW)coreOthersProfessional association representing adult education institutions in NRW. Academy is a long-standing member. Director Ines Gerke-Weipert serves as elected board member since 2021 and was elected Chair in November 2024. Promotes 'Learning and Living under one roof' principle.
• AdB (Arbeitskreis deutscher Bildungsstätten)coreOthersNational association of German educational institutions. Academy participates in joint commission meetings and contributes to professional development through workshops. Five specialized commissions focus on advancing political education profession.
• Gütesiegelverbund Weiterbildung e.V.coreOthersQuality assurance association for continuing education. Academy maintains Gütesiegel certification for educational quality and received BNE certification through this network in 2024/2025.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung: Federal political foundation affiliated with Bündnis 90/Die Grünen delivering civic education, conferences and academy programmes — adjacent incumbent in the same political-education space.
• Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung: Large national political foundation operating extensive civic-education, conference and residential programmes across Germany — broader incumbent in the same political-education category with much greater scale.
• Bundeszentrale für politische Bildung (bpb): Federal German agency for political education providing grants, materials and programmes to civic-education institutions including Bildungsstätten — funder and policy shaper for the broader category.
• Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung: National political foundation running its own Bildungsstätten and academy-format civic-education programmes — broader incumbent with similar political-education mission and target segments.
• Landeszentrale für politische Bildung NRW: NRW state agency funding and coordinating political education in the region — funder, network coordinator and indirect competitor for institutional training contracts.

Direct peers

• Arbeit und Leben NRW: Workers' adult-education association in NRW (DGB-related) offering political and civic seminars for apprentices, employees and unions — overlapping customer base of apprentices and corporate-sponsored groups.
• Bildungsstätte Steinbach: Saxony-based AdB member Bildungsstätte für politische Bildung offering residential seminars, Bildungsurlaube and conference services — comparable single-site political-education institution outside NRW.
• Evangelische Akademie Villigst: Protestant academy in Schwerte/Villigst (NRW) delivering values-based political and social-education seminars with residential facilities — comparable values-driven Bildungsstätte in the same region and network.
• Heimvolkshochschule Springe (HVHS): Lower-Saxony Volkshochschule-format residential adult-education centre with political-education, Bildungsurlaube and conference offerings — closely comparable business model (residential seminar venue + civic curriculum).
• Europäische Akademie Nordrhein-Westfalen: Bonn-based political education academy and fellow @ba/AdB member offering seminars, conferences and residential programmes in NRW — direct competitor for civic-education bookings and public funding.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/akademiebiggesee
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/akademie-biggesee-ggmbh

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Akademie Biggesee gGmbH