Fraund, Adolf Wilhelm

Publisher

born: 18.12.1897 in Bierstadt

died: 26.11.1984 in Wiesbaden

After an apprenticeship as a publishing clerk at the "Wiesbadener General-Anzeiger", Fraund moved to the "Mainzer Anzeiger" in 1930. As publishing director, he led the Mainzer Verlagsanstalt (MVA) and Druckerei Will & Rothe KG through the war, which had only been printing the Mainzer Anzeiger since 1934. At the end of 1944, he had an emergency print shop set up in the basement of the company building in order to protect at least some of the inventory from bomb damage. With this small machine park, he was able to publish the first issue of the "Neuer Mainzer Anzeiger" in October 1945.

This was followed at the end of 1946 by the founding of the "Allgemeine Zeitung". The "Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung" with Fraund as co-founder emerged from its "Hauptausgabe mit Wirtschaftsblatt" in 1949. In 1950, he ensured the continued existence of the 100-year-old Wiesbadener Tagblatt and the over 200-year-old Darmstädter Tagblatt. He thus became the architect of the "Rhein-Main-Nahe Newspaper Group", today's "Rhein Main Publishing Group" (VRM). In 1946, Fraund received the license to publish the trade journals "Der Landbote" and "Der deutsche Weinbau"; today one of the leading trade journals in Europe.

At the beginning of 1962, Fraund retired from MVA after more than 30 years with the company - most recently as the sole managing general partner. He now devoted himself entirely to the journal publishing house he founded, Dr. Bilz und Dr. Fraund KG in Wiesbaden, today's Fachverlag Dr. Fraund GmbH.

Fraund was awarded the Grand Cross of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany (1955), the Gutenberg Plaque of the City of Mainz (1955) and the Goethe Plaque of the State of Hesse (1957). His whole affection belonged to music. He had close friendships with artists at the Bayreuth Festival and with the House of Wagner.