Verlag Freies Geistesleben & Urachhaus
Encyclopedia
The Verlag Freies Geistesleben & Urachhaus GmbH is a publishing company based in Stuttgart
, publishing under the imprint
s of Verlag Freies Geistesleben and Verlag Urachhaus. The company has its roots in the Anthroposophical
movement, and is publishing a wide range of titles, including many classic titles.
The Verlag Freies Geistesleben (meaning free intellectual/spiritual life) was founded in 1947 on the initiative of the Free Waldorf School of Stuttgart and the Anthroposophical Society of Stuttgart, and has an emphasis on literature on or aimed at education
, particularly waldorf education, as well as anthroposophy
in general, social sciences, culture and history, art and architecture, music, natural sciences, and children's literature.
The Verlag Urachhaus was founded in 1925 by Gertrud Spörri, Emil Bock
and Ernst Scheiffele under the name Verlag der Christengemeinschaft, and originally published mostly Christian literature, being affiliated with The Christian Community
, although it since broadened its publishing profile. Due to Nazi persecution, the company changed its name to Verlag Urachhaus, after the street where its offices in Stuttgart were located, in 1936. However, the Gestapo
stormed the office of the company on June 9, 1941, and seized all its holdings, the company was subsequently liquidated in 1942. Following the war, it was reestablished in 1946. After the Christian Community inherited the personal archive of Christian Morgenstern
, the Verlag Urachhaus published a complete edition of the work of Morgenstern in nine volumes, known as the "Stuttgart edition".
The two companies merged under the name Verlag Freies Geistesleben & Urachhaus in the mid 1990s, but continue to operate as separate imprints.
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 ....
, publishing under the imprint
Imprint
In the publishing industry, an imprint can mean several different things:* As a piece of bibliographic information about a book, it refers to the name and address of the book's publisher and its date of publication as given at the foot or on the verso of its title page.* It can mean a trade name...
s of Verlag Freies Geistesleben and Verlag Urachhaus. The company has its roots in the Anthroposophical
Anthroposophy
Anthroposophy, a philosophy founded by Rudolf Steiner, postulates the existence of an objective, intellectually comprehensible spiritual world accessible to direct experience through inner development...
movement, and is publishing a wide range of titles, including many classic titles.
The Verlag Freies Geistesleben (meaning free intellectual/spiritual life) was founded in 1947 on the initiative of the Free Waldorf School of Stuttgart and the Anthroposophical Society of Stuttgart, and has an emphasis on literature on or aimed at education
Education
Education in its broadest, general sense is the means through which the aims and habits of a group of people lives on from one generation to the next. Generally, it occurs through any experience that has a formative effect on the way one thinks, feels, or acts...
, particularly waldorf education, as well as anthroposophy
Anthroposophy
Anthroposophy, a philosophy founded by Rudolf Steiner, postulates the existence of an objective, intellectually comprehensible spiritual world accessible to direct experience through inner development...
in general, social sciences, culture and history, art and architecture, music, natural sciences, and children's literature.
The Verlag Urachhaus was founded in 1925 by Gertrud Spörri, Emil Bock
Emil Bock
Emil Bock was a German anthroposophist, author, theologian and one of the founders of The Christian Community....
and Ernst Scheiffele under the name Verlag der Christengemeinschaft, and originally published mostly Christian literature, being affiliated with The Christian Community
The Christian Community
The Christian Community is a Christian denomination. It was founded in 1922 in Switzerland by a group of mainly Lutheran theologians and ministers led by Friedrich Rittelmeyer, inspired by Rudolf Steiner, the Austrian philosopher and founder of anthroposophy...
, although it since broadened its publishing profile. Due to Nazi persecution, the company changed its name to Verlag Urachhaus, after the street where its offices in Stuttgart were located, in 1936. However, the Gestapo
Gestapo
The Gestapo was the official secret police of Nazi Germany. Beginning on 20 April 1934, it was under the administration of the SS leader Heinrich Himmler in his position as Chief of German Police...
stormed the office of the company on June 9, 1941, and seized all its holdings, the company was subsequently liquidated in 1942. Following the war, it was reestablished in 1946. After the Christian Community inherited the personal archive of Christian Morgenstern
Christian Morgenstern
Christian Otto Josef Wolfgang Morgenstern was a German author and poet from Munich. Morgenstern married Margareta Gosebruch von Liechtenstern on March 7, 1910...
, the Verlag Urachhaus published a complete edition of the work of Morgenstern in nine volumes, known as the "Stuttgart edition".
The two companies merged under the name Verlag Freies Geistesleben & Urachhaus in the mid 1990s, but continue to operate as separate imprints.