Munzinger-Archiv is a German publisher and online encyclopedia based in the Baden-Württemberg city of Ravensburg. The content of the archive includes entries about people in politics, business, culture, sport, music and society, about all countries in the world and about current events. The online service with several million entries is supplemented by other databases, works and portals from partners and is mainly used by publishing houses, the press, radio, political institutions and libraries.
The Munzinger-Archiv was created by Ludwig Munzinger in 1913,[1][2] who, as a former journalist and editorial director of the Berliner Dienst press agency, saw a market for an information service that would allow newspaper editors to quickly and reliably research background information on people and factual topics. On March 17, 1913, the first delivery of the Archiv für publizistische Arbeit (archive for journalistic work) appeared, which from then on was continued on a weekly basis.
In 1914 Munzinger was drafted for military service in World War I. The archive continued during the war, albeit on a reduced scale, led by his wife Cora. In 1918 Munzinger returned to his family, who had since moved to Ravensburg in Upper Swabia. Starting with 1923 the archive became increasingly successful, and in 1926 Munzinger moved the company headquarters back to Berlin.
1928 the program was expanded to include a sports archive. During Nazi Germany, the archive was not integrated into the NSDAP press system like many other press companies or brought into line with it, but from 1936 onwards it had to employ a censor from the Dresden propaganda directorate. After the bombing of Dresden in 1945, the Munzinger family fled again to Ravensburg, where the company is still based today.
After the death of the founder Ludwig Munzinger Jr. took over Munzinger-Archiv in 1957.[3] Ernst Munzinger took over the role of director from his father in 1988.[4]
75 Jahre Munzinger-Archiv. 1913–1988. Munzinger-Archiv, Ravensburg 1988, ISBN 3-923070-11-X
Ernst Munzinger: Vom Zettelkasten zum Wissensarchiv. Erfahrungen aus der Praxis eines Informationsdienstleisters beim Übergang in die Wissensgesellschaft. In: Gertraud Koch (publisher): Internationalisierung von Wissen. Multidisziplinäre Beiträge zu neuen Praxen des Wissenstransfers (= Wissen, Kultur, Kommunikation, Volume 2), Röhrig, St. Ingbert 2006, ISBN 3-86110-389-3
Ernst Munzinger: Vom Zettelarchiv zum Internetinformationsdienst. Das Munzinger-Archiv in Ravensburg-Oberzell. In: mit Brief und Siegel … ins Internet. Archive im Landkreis Ravensburg (= Zeitzeichen, Volume 4). Kreissparkasse, Ravensburg 2007, DNB 98676230X, OCLC 219413059 p. 48–51
^Gunther Dahinten: Die Qualität der Information hat hier absoluten Vorrang. Ernst Munzinger. In: Profile Ravensburg. Biberacher Verlagsdruckerei, Biberach 2008, ISBN 978-3-933614-40-7, S. 152–155
