Ferdinand Simoneit
Encyclopedia
Ferdinand Simoneit was a German
journalist
, author
, professor
and World War II
veteran
.
he was a Panzersoldat
and seriously wounded on the Eastern Front
. As a prisoner of war
in the Soviet Union
he later came into British internment. After the war he was a port and construction worker and studied architecture
in Duisburg. As a journalist he was the rapporteur from Moscow
and New Delhi
. In 1953, he undertook a journalism apprenticeship at the Rheinische Post
.
In 1955, working for Der Spiegel
, Simoneit was the first German journalist to visit the People's Republic of China
, at the same time becoming the magazine's travel correspondent
for the entire East. During his time with Der Spiegel he also had more than 25 cover stories to his credit as well as interviews with Heinrich Nordhoff
, SPD politician Georg Leber
, Nikita Khrushchev
, Walter Ulbricht
and Henry Ford II
. A highlight of his career as an author came in 1966/67 with his second book, Die neuen Bosse, which for two weeks occupied top position of the Der Spiegel
best sellers' list.
From 1971 to 1974 he was chief editor of the business magazine Capital
. In 1975, he became a board member and editorial director with the Motor Presse Stuttgart and founded several magazines (including ""Motor Klassik"). Between 1975 and 1982 he edited the company's leading magazine, Auto, Motor und Sport
which successfully broadened its scope under his direction and had, by 1985, increased its sales to 522,045 copies. From 1978 he was a lecturer in journalism at the University of Hohenheim
and in 1988 professor of the University of Hohenheim
and chief editor of the Hohenheim environmental journal. He was also the founder and first director of the Georg von Holtzbrinck school for business journalists in Düsseldorf
and leading member of the media academy in Stuttgart
. He also was a lecturer in journalism at the University of Passau
, teacher of the volunteers of the ZDF
in Mainz
, journalism adviser for DaimlerChrysler
, Laser-Leibinger, Dekra, Vogel-Verlag and Gong-Verlag, advisory board member of Mercedes Group magazine, career advisor for the student organization AIESEC
and several other positions. He also was European correspondent for the South American news magazines Progress. In 1995, he was the laudator at the World Press Photo
Award.
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
journalist
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
, author
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
, professor
Professor
A professor is a scholarly teacher; the precise meaning of the term varies by country. Literally, professor derives from Latin as a "person who professes" being usually an expert in arts or sciences; a teacher of high rank...
and World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
veteran
Veteran
A veteran is a person who has had long service or experience in a particular occupation or field; " A veteran of ..."...
.
Life
During the German invasion of the Soviet UnionOperation Barbarossa
Operation Barbarossa was the code name for Germany's invasion of the Soviet Union during World War II that began on 22 June 1941. Over 4.5 million troops of the Axis powers invaded the USSR along a front., the largest invasion in the history of warfare...
he was a Panzersoldat
German tanks in World War II
Nazi Germany had several tank designs during World War II. In addition to these domestic designs, Germany also made use of various captured and foreign-built tanks.- Development and uses :...
and seriously wounded on the Eastern Front
Eastern Front (World War II)
The Eastern Front of World War II was a theatre of World War II between the European Axis powers and co-belligerent Finland against the Soviet Union, Poland, and some other Allies which encompassed Northern, Southern and Eastern Europe from 22 June 1941 to 9 May 1945...
. As a prisoner of war
Prisoner of war
A prisoner of war or enemy prisoner of war is a person, whether civilian or combatant, who is held in custody by an enemy power during or immediately after an armed conflict...
in the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
he later came into British internment. After the war he was a port and construction worker and studied architecture
Architecture
Architecture is both the process and product of planning, designing and construction. Architectural works, in the material form of buildings, are often perceived as cultural and political symbols and as works of art...
in Duisburg. As a journalist he was the rapporteur from Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
and New Delhi
New Delhi
New Delhi is the capital city of India. It serves as the centre of the Government of India and the Government of the National Capital Territory of Delhi. New Delhi is situated within the metropolis of Delhi. It is one of the nine districts of Delhi Union Territory. The total area of the city is...
. In 1953, he undertook a journalism apprenticeship at the Rheinische Post
Rheinische Post
The Rheinische Post is a major German regional daily newspaper, published since 1946 by the Rheinische Post Verlagsgesellschaft mbH company....
.
In 1955, working for Der Spiegel
Der Spiegel
Der Spiegel is a German weekly news magazine published in Hamburg. It is one of Europe's largest publications of its kind, with a weekly circulation of more than one million.-Overview:...
, Simoneit was the first German journalist to visit the People's Republic of China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
, at the same time becoming the magazine's travel correspondent
Correspondent
A correspondent or on-the-scene reporter is a journalist or commentator, or more general speaking, an agent who contributes reports to a newspaper, or radio or television news, or another type of company, from a remote, often distant, location. A foreign correspondent is stationed in a foreign...
for the entire East. During his time with Der Spiegel he also had more than 25 cover stories to his credit as well as interviews with Heinrich Nordhoff
Heinrich Nordhoff
Heinz Heinrich Nordhoff was a German engineer famous for his leadership of the Volkswagen company as it was rebuilt after World War II....
, SPD politician Georg Leber
Georg Leber
Georg Leber is a German politician in the Social Democratic Party of Germany .After serving in the Luftwaffe in World War 2, he joined the SPD in 1947...
, Nikita Khrushchev
Nikita Khrushchev
Nikita Sergeyevich Khrushchev led the Soviet Union during part of the Cold War. He served as First Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 1953 to 1964, and as Chairman of the Council of Ministers, or Premier, from 1958 to 1964...
, Walter Ulbricht
Walter Ulbricht
Walter Ulbricht was a German communist politician. As First Secretary of the Socialist Unity Party from 1950 to 1971 , he played a leading role in the creation of the Weimar-era Communist Party of Germany and later in the early development and...
and Henry Ford II
Henry Ford II
Henry Ford II , commonly known as "HF2" and "Hank the Deuce", was the son of Edsel Ford and grandson of Henry Ford...
. A highlight of his career as an author came in 1966/67 with his second book, Die neuen Bosse, which for two weeks occupied top position of the Der Spiegel
Der Spiegel
Der Spiegel is a German weekly news magazine published in Hamburg. It is one of Europe's largest publications of its kind, with a weekly circulation of more than one million.-Overview:...
best sellers' list.
From 1971 to 1974 he was chief editor of the business magazine Capital
Capital (German magazine)
The Capital is a German-language business magazine published by Gruner + Jahr. It was established in 1962.Since 1970 it has published annually a hierarchy of mainstream artists and their ranking within the art market and mainstream art world, called Kunstcompass...
. In 1975, he became a board member and editorial director with the Motor Presse Stuttgart and founded several magazines (including ""Motor Klassik"). Between 1975 and 1982 he edited the company's leading magazine, Auto, Motor und Sport
Auto, Motor und Sport
auto motor und sport , often abbreviated to AMS, is a leading German automobile magazine. It is published fortnightly by Motor Presse Netzwerk subsidiary Motor Presse Stuttgart, a specialist magazine publisher that is 59.9% owned by the publishing house Gruner + Jahr.The magazine, originally...
which successfully broadened its scope under his direction and had, by 1985, increased its sales to 522,045 copies. From 1978 he was a lecturer in journalism at the University of Hohenheim
Hohenheim
Stuttgart-Hohenheim is a quarter of Plieningen, one of the 18 outer districts of Stuttgart, the state capital of Baden-Württemberg, Germany...
and in 1988 professor of the University of Hohenheim
University of Hohenheim
The University of Hohenheim is a university in Stuttgart, Germany. Founded in 1818 it is Stuttgart's oldest university and one of Germany's leading universities both in agricultural sciences and economics.-History:...
and chief editor of the Hohenheim environmental journal. He was also the founder and first director of the Georg von Holtzbrinck school for business journalists in Düsseldorf
Düsseldorf
Düsseldorf is the capital city of the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia and centre of the Rhine-Ruhr metropolitan region.Düsseldorf is an important international business and financial centre and renowned for its fashion and trade fairs. Located centrally within the European Megalopolis, the...
and leading member of the media academy in Stuttgart
Stuttgart
Stuttgart is the capital of the state of Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany. The sixth-largest city in Germany, Stuttgart has a population of 600,038 while the metropolitan area has a population of 5.3 million ....
. He also was a lecturer in journalism at the University of Passau
Passau
Passau is a town in Lower Bavaria, Germany. It is also known as the Dreiflüssestadt or "City of Three Rivers," because the Danube is joined at Passau by the Inn from the south and the Ilz from the north....
, teacher of the volunteers of the ZDF
ZDF
Zweites Deutsches Fernsehen , ZDF, is a public-service German television broadcaster based in Mainz . It is run as an independent non-profit institution, which was founded by the German federal states . The ZDF is financed by television licence fees called GEZ and advertising revenues...
in Mainz
Mainz
Mainz under the Holy Roman Empire, and previously was a Roman fort city which commanded the west bank of the Rhine and formed part of the northernmost frontier of the Roman Empire...
, journalism adviser for DaimlerChrysler
DaimlerChrysler
Daimler AG is a German car corporation. By unit sales, it is the thirteenth-largest car manufacturer and second-largest truck manufacturer in the world. In addition to automobiles, Daimler manufactures buses and provides financial services through its Daimler Financial Services arm...
, Laser-Leibinger, Dekra, Vogel-Verlag and Gong-Verlag, advisory board member of Mercedes Group magazine, career advisor for the student organization AIESEC
AIESEC
AIESEC is a global youth organisation that develops leadership capabilities through their internal leadership programmes and engaging students and graduates in international student exchange and internship programmes for profit and non-profit organisations. Its international office is in...
and several other positions. He also was European correspondent for the South American news magazines Progress. In 1995, he was the laudator at the World Press Photo
World Press Photo
World Press Photo is an independent, non-profit organization based in Amsterdam, Netherlands. Founded in 1955 the organization is known for holding the world's largest and most prestigious annual press photography contest....
Award.
Books
- 1963: Ta Ta Tan Tan. Die Wirklichkeit Rotchinas. Econ Düsseldorf (Mitautor)
- 1966: Die neuen Bosse oder So wird man Generaldirektor. Econ Düsseldorf (Wirtschaftsbuch)
- 1980: Die Rosenthalstory. Econ Düsseldorf (Kunstbuch)
- 1985: Indiskretion Ehrensache. Ullstein München (Journalistenbuch)
- 1989: ... mehr als der Tod. Ullstein München (Kriegsroman)
- 1993: Mein Freund ist ein lackierter Kampfhund. Lübbeverlag Berg Gladbach (zur Verteidigung des Autos)
- 1995: 49 Köpfe der deutschen Wirtschaft. Schäffer & Pöschel Verlag Stuttgart (Herausgeber) (Wirtschaftsbuch)
Reports
- Das Geheimnis von Wolfsburg. Im geheimen Entwicklungszentrum von Volkswagen. (Spiegel)
- Besuch an der Pferdebrücke. In einer Kommune in Rotchina. (Spiegel)
- Denkfabrik Weissach (das Entwicklungszentrum von Porsche)
- Interview mit ehemaligem Mercedes Cargroupchef Hubbert (Playboy)
- Im Tal des Todes. Autotest in Death Valley/Kalifornien.
- Warten in Tadjemout. Leben in einer verlassenen Sahara-Oase.
- Eiskalt am Eismeer bei minus 40 Grad am Ende der Welt.
- Zwei Iltisse in der Wüste, auf Versuchsfahrt in der Sahara.
- Taxi nach Singapur. 500 km durch den Urwald von Malaysia.
- Weltmeister. Was sonst? Wie junge Männer ihre Karriere als Rennfahrer planen.
Publications about Simoneit
- Alles über Simoneit (Die Volontäre der Motor Presse über ihren Lehr-Herrn)
- Das war's (Die Schüler der Georg von Holtzbrinck- Schule über ihren Ausbilder)
- betr. Simoneit. Hausmitteilung im Spiegel über Simoneit
- Heinrich Nordhoff, K.A. Schenzinger, H. Simon und A.Zischka, Wilhelm Andermann Verlag, München
Famous students
- DaimlerChryslerDaimlerChryslerDaimler AG is a German car corporation. By unit sales, it is the thirteenth-largest car manufacturer and second-largest truck manufacturer in the world. In addition to automobiles, Daimler manufactures buses and provides financial services through its Daimler Financial Services arm...
: Norbert HaugNorbert HaugNorbert Haug is a German journalist, and the President in charge of all Mercedes-Benz motorsport activity, including Formula One, Formula 3 and DTM...
(Vice president Motorsport) - HandelsblattHandelsblattThe Handelsblatt is a leading German language business newspaper, published in Düsseldorf by the Verlagsgruppe Handelsblatt. It has a circulation of 145.437 daily copies. Its editor-in-chief is Gabor Steingart...
: Gabor SteingartGábor SteingartGabor Steingart is a German journalist and author of several popular and influential books. He is currently the chief editor of Handelsblatt, Germany's leading economic newspaper.- Life :...
(Editor in Chief since June, 1 2010) - Financial Times DeutschlandFinancial Times DeutschlandThe Financial Times Deutschland is a German language financial newspaper based in Hamburg, Germany, and is published by Gruner + Jahr. The newspaper contains four sections: Business, Politics & Economy, Finance, and Agenda .Founded in February 2000, the circulation grew to 103,000 readers in the...
: Steffen Klusmann (Editor in Chief) - Ursula Weidenfeld: freelance journalist
- HandelsblattHandelsblattThe Handelsblatt is a leading German language business newspaper, published in Düsseldorf by the Verlagsgruppe Handelsblatt. It has a circulation of 145.437 daily copies. Its editor-in-chief is Gabor Steingart...
: Peter Brors (2nd Editor in Chief) - Stuttgarter ZeitungStuttgarter ZeitungThe Stuttgarter Zeitung is a German-language daily newspaper edited in Stuttgart, Baden-Württemberg, Germany, with a run of about 200,000 sold copies daily....
: Joachim Dorfs (Editor in Chief) - Thomas Knüwer (Founder of the management consultancy Kpunktnull, Author of weblogs Indiskretion Ehrensache and Gotorio)