About Glaswelt

Glaswelt

Glaswelt, styled GLASWELT, is a German trade magazine for the glass, window, facade, and sun-protection industries, published from Stuttgart by the Alfons W. Gentner Verlag. First published in 1948, it is one of the oldest specialist publications for the building-envelope trades in the German-speaking world, appearing twelve times a year. The magazine addresses processors, owners, specialists, and executives from craft businesses, trade, and industry, covering functional glass, profile systems, hardware, control technology, manufacturing techniques, and the standards that govern them. With an IVW-audited circulation of more than 10,000 copies and a daily updated online portal at glaswelt.de, it combines a traditional subscription-based print edition with newsletters, an e-paper, and social media channels, positioning itself as the cross-media information hub for everyone who works with glass in construction.

Overview

Glaswelt appears monthly with twelve issues per year and is sold exclusively by subscription and direct sales rather than at newsstands. The readership consists of glass processors, window and facade builders, sun-protection specialists, traders, and installation companies, extending to manufacturers of flat-glass products and their finishing lines. The distributed circulation exceeds 10,000 copies and is audited by the IVW, the German circulation audit body, which underlines the title's standing among advertisers in the building-supply sector.

The editorial concept follows the product chain from development to installation: topics include functional glass such as insulating, safety, and solar-control glass, profile systems for windows and facades, functional hardware, drive and control technology, and all related supplier products. Manufacturing technology, machinery, and components receive detailed coverage, as do professional installation, transport, and logistics. A distinctive service element is early reporting on new norms and regulations, which directly affect the daily work of craft businesses. The magazine is published in German, with English-language news serving the international industry through the publisher's wider network.

History

Glaswelt was first published in 1948, in the early post-war years when the German glass and construction industries were rebuilding. Its publisher, the Alfons W. Gentner Verlag, had been founded in Stuttgart in 1927 as a family-run specialist publishing house for technology and medicine; founder Alfons Gentner senior had started as an independent bookbinder, and his son Alfons W. Gentner received a publishing license from the Allied authorities in 1946. From 1959 the company concentrated on trade journals, and Glaswelt became one of its flagship titles for the construction trades.

Over more than seven decades the magazine tracked the transformation of its industry: from simple glazing work to high-performance insulating glass, from manual craftsmanship to CNC-controlled production lines, and from national standards to European harmonization. The 2018 volume marked the 70th year of publication. While the print edition remained the core product, the publisher expanded the brand cross-medially from the 2000s onward, building the glaswelt.de portal with a news archive stretching back to 1997, introducing a twice-weekly newsletter, and establishing presences on LinkedIn, Facebook, and YouTube where the editorial team shares video content. Special issues on selected topics appear at irregular intervals alongside the regular monthly rhythm.

Coverage and Content

The thematic priorities of Glaswelt are the latest developments in applications and products for the glass, window, facade, and building-component industries, including the sun-protection segment. Reporting covers functional glass, profile systems, functional hardware, and control technology, as well as every other supplier product relevant to the trade, from manufacturing techniques and machinery to components. Professional installation, transport, and logistics are treated as editorial priorities in their own right, reflecting the craft reader's need for practical guidance.

Norms and regulations form a recurring service section: the editorial team reports early on new and revised standards so that readers can adapt their processes and documentation in time. Market topics include company news, personnel changes, trade-fair coverage, and product launches, while technical articles explain new machinery, software, and materials. The twice-weekly newsletter delivers fresh industry news between print issues, and the online portal offers daily news, downloads, event listings, link collections, and an article archive available to subscribers in PDF format. English-language news items address the global glass industry, extending the brand's reach beyond the DACH region.

Trade Fairs and Industry Role

Beyond its editorial work, Glaswelt functions as a media partner and information platform for the trade fairs that structure the industry calendar, including the leading international exhibitions for glass technology and window construction. The magazine's trade-fair coverage, preview issues, and on-site reporting make it a reference point for exhibitors and visitors alike. Its long-standing relationships with industry associations in the glass, window, and sun-protection sectors give the editorial team access to technical committees and standardization bodies, which in turn feeds the early reporting on norms that readers value. For many craft businesses, the magazine's combination of product news, installation know-how, and regulatory guidance makes it part of the professional toolkit, consulted when specifying glass, choosing machinery, or training staff. The publisher's English-language news service further positions the brand as a bridge between the German-speaking craft tradition and the global glass industry.

Organization and Ownership

Glaswelt is published by the Alfons W. Gentner Verlag GmbH & Co. KG, a family-run specialist media house based at Forststraße 131 in Stuttgart. The company was founded in 1927, employs around 60 people, and reported revenue of about 11.6 million euros in 2018. Its publishing program focuses on specialist media for sanitary and heating technology, refrigeration and climate technology, windows, glass and facades, electrical and security technology, and occupational and assessment medicine. The publisher is a member of the Börsenverein des Deutschen Buchhandels, the German publishers and booksellers association.

The Glaswelt editorial team is led by editor-in-chief Daniel Mund, with editors including Matthias Rehberger and Olaf Vögele, the latter responsible for the sun-protection section. The company's management includes publisher Erwin Fidelis Reisch, Robert Reisch as managing director for digital and IT, and Armin Gross as COO. Advertising management is handled in-house. Detailed current staffing figures for the individual title are not publicly confirmed, but the publisher presents the Glaswelt team as combining craft-technical expertise with journalistic know-how.

Digital Presence

The brand's digital center is glaswelt.de, described by the publisher as the leading online portal for professionals in windows, facades, building components, and sun-protection systems. The portal publishes daily industry news, downloads, event notices, and an archive of articles dating back to 1997, which subscribers can download as PDFs. A newsletter appears twice a week with fresh industry information, and the e-paper edition of the print magazine adds digital value for subscribers.

On social media, the Glaswelt editorial team maintains pages on Facebook and LinkedIn and a YouTube channel with video content from the trade, reaching readers where the industry discusses its topics. The publisher also distributes English-language news for the global glass industry. With print, e-paper, portal, newsletter, video, and social channels, Glaswelt operates as a fully cross-media brand, a development the publisher summarizes with the claim of being one step ahead on trends, technology, and business for its craft and industry audience. In an industry where digital specification tools and online configurators increasingly shape the sales process, the magazine's role as an independent editorial voice has, if anything, grown: readers rely on it to filter the flood of manufacturer claims and to translate technical innovation into craft practice. That filtering function, honed over more than seven decades, remains the core of the brand's value to the glass, window, facade, and sun-protection trades.