Friedhelm Merz Verlag

Friedhelm Merz Verlag (now generally known as Merz Verlag) is a German publishing and event management company based in Essen. It was founded in 1985 by the journalist Friedhelm Merz as a book and magazine publishing house specializing in games and communication. The company is best known as the organizer of the Internationale Spieltage SPIEL in Essen, one of the world's largest public board game fairs. Since 2022 it has been a subsidiary of Spielwarenmesse eG, the Nuremberg toy fair organization. The company's origins lie in the German games scene of the early 1980s. Friedhelm Merz, a former editor-in-chief of the SPD weekly Vorwärts and managing director of its publishing house, had founded the games magazine Spielbox in 1981. In 1983, an idea by Rainer Müller and Friedhelm Merz to organize a meeting for gamers in the American Club in Plittersdorf attracted 700 readers of Spielbox, far more than the venue could hold. Through Merz's contacts with Johannes Rau, then Minister-President of North Rhine-Westphalia, the event was moved to the Essen Volkshochschule, where the Spiel des Jahres award ceremony had been held since 1979. These first Deutsche Spielertage drew 4,000 to 5,000 visitors after a radio announcement on WDR 2. The following year attendance rose to 10,000–15,000, and the event became the venue for the German team championship in board games. In 1985 the fair moved to Messe Essen. In 1985 Merz separated from Vorwärts-Verlag and founded Friedhelm Merz Verlag in his apartment in Bonn-Mehlem as a specialist publisher for games and communication. Together with his partner Rosemarie Geu, he published waste and disposal literature and the SpielReport games magazine. At the turn of 1985/86 the company also took over publication of Die Pöppel-Revue. Merz secured the rights to the Essener Spielertage against a one-time payment of 50,000 DM to the SPD, together with Messe Essen, through legal action. In 1986 the Deutsche Spielertage were renamed Internationale Spieltage SPIEL. In 1990 Friedhelm Merz founded the Deutscher Spielepreis, an award voted on by retailers, journalists, game clubs and trade visitors, which has been presented by Merz Verlag at the Spieltage ever since. After Friedhelm Merz's death in 1996, his wife Rosemarie Geu and their daughter Dominique Metzler took over the management of the company, which since then has focused entirely on organizing the Internationale Spieltage. In early 2022 Spielwarenmesse eG in Nuremberg acquired Friedhelm Merz Verlag GmbH & Co. KG for an undisclosed price from Rosemarie Geu and Dominique Metzler, who remained responsible for the management of Spiel '22 during a transition period. Afterwards, former Asmodee manager Carol Rapp was entrusted with the management of the Spiel fair. Together with Spielwarenmesse board member Florian Hess, she forms the management of Merz Verlag.

The company's history is closely tied to the German board game boom of the early 1980s. Its founder, Friedhelm Merz, was editor-in-chief of the SPD weekly Vorwärts from 1976 to 1978 and managing director of Vorwärts-Verlag from 1979 to 1985. From 1981 he also led its subsidiary publisher Courir, renamed Argo in 1984. He was the founding publisher of the games magazine Spielbox, first published in 1981, whose editorial team included Rainer Müller (who also provided the idea and concept), Helmut Morell and Lothar Romain. In 1983, Reiner Müller and Friedhelm Merz had the idea of organizing a meeting for gamers in the American Club in Plittersdorf; surprisingly, 700 readers of Spielbox signed up. Because this number of players overwhelmed the club, Merz used his contacts with Johannes Rau, then Minister-President of North Rhine-Westphalia, to secure the premises of the Essen Volkshochschule, where the Spiel des Jahres award ceremony had been held since 1979. There, Courir-Verlag organized the first Deutsche Spielertage. After an announcement on WDR 2's morning magazine, 4,000 to 5,000 visitors attended. The following year 10,000 to 15,000 visitors came, and the meeting became the venue for the German team championship in board games. In 1985 the event moved to Messe Essen. In 1985 Vorwärts-Verlag and Friedhelm Merz separated, and Merz founded Friedhelm Merz Verlag in his apartment in Bonn-Mehlem as a specialist publisher for games and communication. Together with his partner Rosemarie Geu, Merz published waste and disposal literature and the SpielReport as a games trade magazine. At the turn of 1985/86 the publisher also took over publication of the magazine Die Pöppel-Revue, initially edited by Knut-Michael Wolf, until Merz himself briefly took on that role in 1989. He secured the rights to the Essener Spielertage against a one-time payment of 50,000 DM to the SPD, together with Messe Essen, through legal action. In 1986 the Deutsche Spielertage were renamed Internationale Spieltage Spiel. In 1990 Friedhelm Merz founded the Deutscher Spielepreis as a vote among retailers, journalists, game clubs and the trade public. This award has since been presented by Merz Verlag during the Spieltage. After Friedhelm Merz's death in 1996, his wife Rosemarie Geu, who withdrew from the business in 2011, and their daughter Dominique Metzler took over the management of the company, which since then has focused entirely on organizing the Internationale Spieltage. In early 2022 Spielwarenmesse eG in Nuremberg acquired Friedhelm Merz Verlag GmbH & Co. KG for an undisclosed purchase price from Rosemarie Geu and Dominique Metzler, who remained responsible for the management of Spiel '22 during a transition period. Afterwards, former Asmodee manager Carol Rapp was entrusted with the management of the Spiel fair. Together with Spielwarenmesse board member Florian Hess, she forms the management of Merz Verlag.

• 2022

  Spielwarenmesse eG acquires Friedhelm Merz Verlag GmbH & Co. KG.

• 2011

  Rosemarie Geu withdraws from the business.

• 1996

  Death of founder Friedhelm Merz; Rosemarie Geu and Dominique Metzler take over management.

• 1990

  Deutscher Spielepreis founded by Friedhelm Merz.

• 1986

  Deutsche Spielertage renamed Internationale Spieltage Spiel.

• 1985

  Friedhelm Merz Verlag founded in Bonn-Mehlem as a specialist publisher for games and communication.

Organizer of the world's largest public board game fair and a specialist publisher in the games sector.

• Internationale Spieltage SPIEL

  Annual public board game fair in Essen, Germany.

• Deutscher Spielepreis

  Board game award voted by retailers, journalists, game clubs and trade visitors.

• Spielbox

  Games magazine founded in 1981.

• SpielReport

  Games trade magazine published by the company.

• Die Pöppel-Revue

  Games magazine whose publication was taken over at the turn of 1985/86.

1. 1Friedhelm Merz Verlag - Wikidatawikidata.org
2. 2Merz Verlag - Wikipedia (German)de.wikipedia.org