Company history

A video journey through history

Compass-Verlag was founded by Gustav Leonhardt in Vienna.

Gustav Leonhardt later became the secretary general of the Austro-Hungarian National Bank.

The first edition of the "Compass-Kalender und Jahrbuch für Handel, Gewerbe und Industrie" [Compass Calendar and Yearbook for Trade, Commerce and Industry] was published in 1868 and is considered to be the only complete financial handbook of the monarchy.

The weekly magazine "Der Tresor" [The Vault] supplemented the book editions.

The "Zentralblatt für die Eintragungen in das Handelsregister" [Central Journal for Entries in the Commercial Register], a periodical analogous to today's Official Journal of Wiener Zeitung, and the "Lieferungsanzeiger" [Procurement Journal] were published by Compass for more than one hundred years from 1902.

Compass-Verlag was transferred to the Hanel family and remained in their ownership through both World Wars until 1977.

From 1913 to 1936 Compass-Verlag was part of Vernay AG, one of the biggest media groups in Austria during the interwar period.

The Industry Compass of 1920/21 already comprised 75,000 business entities and 6,000 new establishments.

Secret! During World War II the books were considered a state secret and had to be kept securely under lock and key. From 1945 the Compass editions served as authentic documents before the courts in restitution proceedings.

In the course of a management buyout Werner and Heide-Lene Futter took over Compass-Verlag.

The company engaged in establishing the Commercial Register database.

Foundation of CMD, the first subsidiary of Compass-Verlag.

Foundation of more than ten subsidiaries within three years, including HF Data and Better Business Information. Start of the expansion into Eastern Europe with the "CompAlmanach Group".

After 66 years in the 1st district of Vienna the publishing group moved to a new publishing house in the 14th district.

CompNet – Austria's first commercial internet database went online.

Phased sale of investments in Eastern Europe in order to shift the focus back to the Austrian market.

HF Data became a clearing office of the Republic of Austria.

After a three-year interruption the very last Compass volume appeared in book form.

Databases provided exclusively online.

The Group started financing selected start-ups.

Launch of firmenbuchgrundbuch.at

HF Data became the market leader among the clearing offices in Austria.

The Compass Group became the owner of the .wien top-level domain

firmeninfo.at replaced compnet.at as Austria's strongest B2B platform.

The ZEDHIA online archive went online with more than 1.1 million pages on the history of Austrian economics.

Compass-Verlag celebrated its 150th anniversary with more than 400 guests. To mark the occasion the anniversary publication "Der Compass - 150 Jahre österreichische Wirtschaftsgeschichte. Vom Kalender zu digitalen Informationssystemen." [Compass - 150 years of Austrian business history. From the Calendar to Digital Information Systems] was published.

Wirtschafts-Compass became the most comprehensive information product for business information.

The Compass Group moved to its new location:
Schönbrunner Strasse 231
1120 Vienna