Die Zeit
Encyclopedia
Die Zeit is a German
nationwide weekly newspaper
that is highly respected for its quality journalism.
With a circulation of 488,036 and an estimated readership of slightly above 2 million, it is the most widely read German weekly newspaper. The publishing house, Zeitverlag Gerd Bucerius in Hamburg
, is owned by the Georg von Holtzbrinck Publishing Group
and Dieter von Holtzbrinck Media
.
The paper is considered to be highbrow
. Its political direction is centrist and liberal
, but has oscillated a number of times between slightly left-leaning and slightly right-leaning. Die Zeit often publishes dossiers, essays, third-party articles and excerpts of lectures of different authors emphasising their points of view on a single aspect or topic in one or in consecutive issues. It is known for its very large physical paper format (Nordisch
) and its long and detailed articles.
The first edition was printed on February 21, 1946. The founding publishers were Gerd Bucerius
, Lovis H. Lorenz, Richard Tüngel
and Ewald Schmidt di Simoni. Another important founder was Marion Gräfin Dönhoff, who joined as an editor in 1946. She became publisher of Die Zeit from 1972 until her death in 2002, together from 1983 onwards with former German chancellor Helmut Schmidt
, later joined by Josef Joffe
and former German federal secretary of culture Michael Naumann
.
in its title stems from an accident of history: when the paper was founded in the rather chaotic post-war occupied Germany, the city of Hamburg refused the use of its coat of arms in a private publication at the last moment; so instead the space reserved for it on the printing plate was filled with that of the nearby city of Bremen, as one of the founders was a friend of the mayor of Bremen
.
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
nationwide weekly newspaper
Newspaper
A newspaper is a scheduled publication containing news of current events, informative articles, diverse features and advertising. It usually is printed on relatively inexpensive, low-grade paper such as newsprint. By 2007, there were 6580 daily newspapers in the world selling 395 million copies a...
that is highly respected for its quality journalism.
With a circulation of 488,036 and an estimated readership of slightly above 2 million, it is the most widely read German weekly newspaper. The publishing house, Zeitverlag Gerd Bucerius in Hamburg
Hamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
, is owned by the Georg von Holtzbrinck Publishing Group
Georg von Holtzbrinck Publishing Group
Verlagsgruppe Georg von Holtzbrinck is a Stuttgart-based publishing holding company which owns publishing companies worldwide. Holtzbrinck has published everything from Salman Rushdie's Satanic Verses to classics by Agatha Christie, Jean-Paul Sartre, Ernest Hemingway and John Updike...
and Dieter von Holtzbrinck Media
Dieter von Holtzbrinck
Dieter von Holtzbrinck is one of the heirs to the Holtzbrinck publishing empire, founded by his father Georg von Holtzbrinck in 1948.He was a director of the Dow Jones & Co...
.
The paper is considered to be highbrow
Highbrow
Used colloquially as a noun or adjective, highbrow is synonymous with intellectual; as an adjective, it also means elite, and generally carries a connotation of high culture. The word draws its metonymy from the pseudoscience of phrenology, and was originally simply a physical descriptor...
. Its political direction is centrist and liberal
Liberalism
Liberalism is the belief in the importance of liberty and equal rights. Liberals espouse a wide array of views depending on their understanding of these principles, but generally, liberals support ideas such as constitutionalism, liberal democracy, free and fair elections, human rights,...
, but has oscillated a number of times between slightly left-leaning and slightly right-leaning. Die Zeit often publishes dossiers, essays, third-party articles and excerpts of lectures of different authors emphasising their points of view on a single aspect or topic in one or in consecutive issues. It is known for its very large physical paper format (Nordisch
Aspect ratio (newspaper)
Newspaper formats vary substantially, with different formats more common in different countries. The size of a newspaper format refers to the size of the paper page; the printed area within that can vary substantially depending on the newspaper....
) and its long and detailed articles.
The first edition was printed on February 21, 1946. The founding publishers were Gerd Bucerius
Gerd Bucerius
Gerd Bucerius was a German politician and journalist, one of the founding members of Die Zeit. He is the namesake of the Bucerius Law School in Hamburg and of the Bucerius Kunst Forum, an art gallery....
, Lovis H. Lorenz, Richard Tüngel
Richard Tüngel
Richard Tüngel was originally an architect and a longtime Director of Construction in Hamburg. Removed from this position by the Nazis in 1933, he went to Berlin, where he lived until 1945 as a translator and writer. For example, one still finds his name on current German-language editions of...
and Ewald Schmidt di Simoni. Another important founder was Marion Gräfin Dönhoff, who joined as an editor in 1946. She became publisher of Die Zeit from 1972 until her death in 2002, together from 1983 onwards with former German chancellor Helmut Schmidt
Helmut Schmidt
Helmut Heinrich Waldemar Schmidt is a German Social Democratic politician who served as Chancellor of West Germany from 1974 to 1982. Prior to becoming chancellor, he had served as Minister of Defence and Minister of Finance. He had also served briefly as Minister of Economics and as acting...
, later joined by Josef Joffe
Josef Joffe
Josef Joffe is publisher-editor of Die Zeit, a weekly German newspaper. His second career has been in academia...
and former German federal secretary of culture Michael Naumann
Michael Naumann
Michael Naumann is a German politician, publisher and journalist. He was the German secretary of culture from 1998 until 2001. He is married to Marie Warburg, daughter of Eric Warburg and granddaughter of Max Warburg....
.
Logo
The fact that the newspaper bears the coat of arms of BremenCoat of arms of Bremen
This article is about the coat of arms of the German state and city of Bremen.-Description:From the Bremen Official Website:-History:Officially, the coat of arms was confirmed by Napoleon Bonaparte in 1811...
in its title stems from an accident of history: when the paper was founded in the rather chaotic post-war occupied Germany, the city of Hamburg refused the use of its coat of arms in a private publication at the last moment; so instead the space reserved for it on the printing plate was filled with that of the nearby city of Bremen, as one of the founders was a friend of the mayor of Bremen
Bremen
The City Municipality of Bremen is a Hanseatic city in northwestern Germany. A commercial and industrial city with a major port on the river Weser, Bremen is part of the Bremen-Oldenburg metropolitan area . Bremen is the second most populous city in North Germany and tenth in Germany.Bremen is...
.