About Konradsblatt

Konradsblatt

The Konradsblatt is the weekly newspaper for the Archdiocese of Freiburg, published in Karlsruhe by the Badenia Verlag, the media house of the archdiocese. Appearing since January 1917, it is one of Germany's oldest continuously published diocesan newspapers, with a history spanning more than a century of Catholic journalism. Named after Saint Konrad von Konstanz, the patron saint of the diocese, the paper reports on current church life in the archdiocese, in Germany and in the world church, seeing itself as a spiritual companion for the whole family. With a circulation in the tens of thousands, it serves as the connecting link between the parishes, deaneries and communities of one of Germany's largest archdioceses, from the church on the doorstep to the world church.

Overview

The Konradsblatt is the Bistumszeitung, the diocesan newspaper, of the Archdiocese of Freiburg, which covers the southwestern German state of Baden-Württemberg with its archiepiscopal see in Freiburg im Breisgau. The paper appears weekly in German and addresses the Catholics of the archdiocese as well as all readers interested in church life. Its editorial focus lies on current church events in the archdiocese, in Germany and in the world church, complemented by societal and political topics viewed from a Christian perspective, and by culture, family, profession and social affairs.

The paper's self-understanding, expressed in its media data through the voice of Archbishop Stephan Burger, is that of a link within the large archdiocese: between the individual parishes, deaneries and communities in the regions, between the faithful, between the people living there. In a time of countless short news items and rapidly changing headlines, the Konradsblatt offers well-founded information and thoroughly researched articles, reaching from the local church to the world church. The topics range from the church on the doorstep to global justice, from family and profession to peace and culture.

The editorial office is based in Karlsruhe, and the paper is published by the Badenia Verlag, the media house of the Archdiocese of Freiburg. The editor-in-chief since 1 January 2020 is Klaus Gaßner, who succeeded Klaus Nientiedt, in office since 1998. The paper's circulation is listed at around 63,500 copies in the directory of German-language Christian periodicals, reflecting its position among the larger diocesan newspapers in Germany.

History

The Konradsblatt was founded in 1916, in the midst of the First World War. The Badenia Verlag took the initiative and began talks with the archdiocese about founding a Catholic family entertainment paper. The publishing house found itself in economic difficulties, which it hoped to overcome with a paper authorised by the archdiocese, while the archdiocese wanted to respond to social change with intensive journalistic pastoral care. After the Freiburg Archbishop Thomas Nörber had been drawn more intensively into the discussions since October, a contract between the two partners was concluded on 6 December 1916.

In December 1916 a sample issue was printed, and from January 1917 the paper appeared weekly under the title "St. Konradsblatt: Familienblatt der Erzdiözese Freiburg" in the Badenia Verlag of Karlsruhe. The name honours Saint Konrad von Konstanz (circa 900–975), one of the first bishops of Constance and the patron saint of the diocese. The Archdiocese of Freiburg itself had been erected in 1821 after the secularisation, covering large parts of the former Diocese of Constance, so the choice of the Constance saint as namesake carried historical resonance.

The paper was interrupted during the Second World War, like all Catholic publications under the National Socialist regime, and resumed after 1945. Since 1962 the paper has carried its current title, "Konradsblatt: Wochenzeitung für das Erzbistum Freiburg". In the first quarter of 1998 the sold circulation stood at 83,456 copies, documenting the paper's reach in the late twentieth century. The long editorship of Klaus Nientiedt from 1998 to 2019 gave the paper editorial continuity across two decades, before Klaus Gaßner took over as editor-in-chief on 1 January 2020. After more than a century, the Konradsblatt remains the weekly voice of the Archdiocese of Freiburg.

Content and Sections

The content of the Konradsblatt is organised around the life of the church at every level. Reports from the archdiocese cover parish life, deanery activities, diocesan events and the initiatives of the archbishop and the diocesan administration. National church coverage addresses the German Bishops' Conference, the synodal process and the debates shaping Catholicism in Germany, while world church reporting follows the Vatican, the Pope and the global Catholic community. This three-level structure, from the local to the universal church, defines the paper's editorial identity.

Beyond church news, the paper covers societal and political topics from a Christian perspective, addressing questions of social justice, peace, migration, environmental responsibility and bioethics. Family and profession, culture and leisure, and the spiritual life of readers are further pillars of the editorial programme. The paper understands itself as a spiritual companion for the whole family, offering orientation in faith alongside practical guidance for everyday life.

Special publications and series address focused themes, and the paper's reporting on the regions of the archdiocese, from the Black Forest to the Lake Constance area and the Rhine plain, reflects the geographical diversity of one of Germany's largest dioceses. The combination of local rootedness and universal church perspective gives the Konradsblatt its distinctive profile among the German diocesan newspapers. Reader letters and opinion pages give the faithful a voice, making the weekly a forum for the conversations that move the archdiocese.

Publisher and Organization

The Konradsblatt is published by the Badenia Verlag, the media house of the Archdiocese of Freiburg, based in Karlsruhe. The publishing house has published the paper since its founding in 1917, giving the title more than a century of continuity under one publisher. The editorial office is located in Karlsruhe, and the editor-in-chief since 1 January 2020 is Klaus Gaßner, succeeding Klaus Nientiedt, who had led the editorial team since 1998.

The paper appears weekly in German as the "Wochenzeitung für das Erzbistum Freiburg". Its circulation is listed at around 63,500 copies, making it one of the larger Catholic diocesan newspapers in Germany. The paper's distribution address for readers is vertrieb@konradsblatt.de, and its media data for 2026 is published through the Konpress church-press marketing organisation. The publisher's managing director is Arne Biemann.

Digital Presence

The digital home of the Konradsblatt is konradsblatt.de, the internet edition of the weekly newspaper for the Archdiocese of Freiburg. The site presents current articles, the digital edition of the paper and service information for subscribers, extending the weekly print rhythm into continuous online coverage of church life in the archdiocese. Readers can access the paper's content digitally and manage their subscriptions online.

The paper is present on the social platforms where church communication takes place, sharing articles, event information and spiritual impulses with its audience. For the institutions of the archdiocese, from parishes to diocesan organisations, the combination of the weekly print newspaper and the online portal offers a channel to the Catholic public of southwestern Germany, sustaining the dialogue between the diocesan leadership and the faithful. As part of the Badenia media house, the Konradsblatt benefits from the publishing infrastructure of the archdiocese's media operations while maintaining its distinct identity as the weekly newspaper that has connected the Catholics of Freiburg for more than a century.