History of the Orell Füssli Group
1519 | Company is founded by Christoph Froschauer, a printer who had immigrated from Bavaria. He becomes a citizen of Zurich, and his company becomes the government printing press. |
1531 | Folio Bible is printed (the so-called “Zurich Bible”) |
1576 | The land surveyor Jos Murer publishes a plan of the city |
1761 | The Orell and Gessner publishing companies merge to form Orell, Gessner & Cie. Hans Conrad Gessner’s bookshop is also absorbed into this partnership. |
1766 | Hans Rudolf Füssli takes over the publishing company of Heidegger & Cie. |
1770 | The Orell, Gessner & Cie. and Füssli & Cie. publishing companies merge to form Orell, Gessner, Füssli & Cie. |
1780 | First edition of the “Zürcher Zeitung” newspaper, which became the “Neue Zürcher Zeitung” in 1821. It was spun off as an independent public limited company in 1868. |
1798 | The Gessner family withdraw from the partnership; the publishing company and bookshops now trade as Orell Füssli & Cie. |
1827 | First securities are printed |
1843 | First postage stamps are printed in continental Europe, the second series worldwide – “Züri 4” and “Züri 6” |
1880 | Development of the ten-colour photochromic printing technique |
1890 | Company is converted into a public limited company (Art. Institut Orell Füssli Ltd) |
1897 | Listing on Zurich Stock Exchange |
1911 | Company begins printing banknotes for the Swiss National Bank |
1992 | Orell Füssli Buchhandlungs Ltd is founded; the book retailer H. Hugendubel, Germany, takes a minority interest in the company |
1996 | Internet book retailing launched at www.books.ch |
1999 | Company is restructured to form Orell Füssli Holding Ltd |
2001 | Takeover of Teledata Ltd |
2002 | Acquisition of a majority shareholding in Atlantic Zeiser Group Ltd (Germany), which becomes wholly-owned in 2005 |
2003 | Takeover of the publishing units Atlantis and pro juventute |
2004 | Acquisition of bookstores Rösslitor Bücher, St. Gall |
2007 | Acquisition of Globi Verlag, Zurich |
2008 | Divestment of Orell Füssli Business Information Division |
2010 | Acquisition of a majority shareholding in SOFHA GmbH, Berlin |