Away from the main roads, stands a building that once housed a hub of culinary and hospitality knowledge: Matthaes Verlag. This is where stories were printed for decades. It is a place that helped shape industries. Let’s dive into the story of Matthaes Verlag.
Matthaes Verlag was founded in 1905 in Stuttgart by Hugo Matthaes. Initially, it focused on trade journals. These journals included the South and Central German Butchers’ Journal and Der Maler. Hugo Matthaes led the company until 1931. Then his son, also named Hugo Matthaes, took over. He ran the company from 1931 to 1981. After 1952, he worked with his wife Amalie M. Matthaes.
During World War II in 1944, a bomb attack destroyed the Matthaes Verlag building. Rebuilding began in 1946 in Stuttgart-Degerloch. The company moved several times. Locations included Marienstraße, Hospitalstraße, and Olgastraße. Finally, in 2005, Matthaes Verlag moved to Silberburgstraße.
After the war, Matthaes Verlag expanded its publications. In 1947, the Allgemeine Hotel- und Gaststätten-Zeitung (AHGZ) was first published. It was renamed Allgemeine Hotel- und Gastronomie-Zeitung in 2006. Other journals included Konditorei und Café (KoCa) and Allgemeine Bäcker-Zeitung (ABZ). In 1948, the Mineralwasser-Zeitung and Die Müllerei followed. Der Biergroßhandel started in 1949. The Deutscher Hotelführer began in 1951. In 1968, Matthaes Verlag acquired the trade magazine Hotel + Restaurant.
From 1981 to 2004, Hugo Matthaes, the founder’s grandson, managed the company. Until 1998, he worked alongside his mother, Amalie M. Matthaes. In 2004, the Verlagsgruppe Deutscher Fachverlag acquired a majority stake in Matthaes Verlag.
Matthaes Verlag received international recognition in 2012. It won the Gourmand World Cookbook Award in Paris. It was named Best Cookbook Publisher of the Year. This award highlighted the quality of its cookbook segment.
In 2020, Matthaes Verlag fully merged into the dfv Mediengruppe. Besides journals, Matthaes Verlag published many books. These books covered hotels, restaurants, bakeries, and confectioneries.
Today, the building at Silberburgstraße 122 stands as a reminder of Matthaes Verlag. It was a place where industry knowledge thrived. The story of Matthaes Verlag shows how a family-run business can grow. It reflects the changing media landscape in Germany. Though the publishing house no longer exists independently, its legacy lives on through its publications and its contribution to the culinary and hospitality sectors.