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MilestonesThe Chronicle of Krupp and Thyssen

Two companies, one chronicle: the milestones lead chronologically through more than 200 years of industrial history, in which Krupp and Thyssen develop in parallel, cross paths time and again, and finally merge. Era by era, the events also mirror German economic and contemporary history, from industrialization through two world wars and reconstruction to the group of today.

Six eras

lead through the chronology. Choose your starting point:

Beginnings: 1811-1891

1811: Establishment of the cast steel factory by Friedrich Krupp
1833: First delivery of rolling machines
1836: Social company benefits
1847: Start of production of railroad equipment
1859: Order for 300 gun barrel ingots from the Prussian military authorities
1862: Introduction of the Bessemer process
1864: Acquisition of iron ore deposits, iron and steel mills, and coal minesen
1867: Establishment of Thyssen, Fossoul & Co. in Duisburg
Establishment of Thyssen & Co. in Styrum (Mülheim/Ruhr)
1872: The "General Directive" on corporate organization
1891: August Thyssen becomes owner of Gewerkschaft Deutscher Kaiser in Hamborn near Duisburg
1811: Establishment of the cast steel factory by Friedrich Krupp
1833: First delivery of rolling machines
1836: Social company benefits
1847: Start of production of railroad equipment
1859: Order for 300 gun barrel ingots from the Prussian military authorities
1862: Introduction of the Bessemer process
1864: Acquisition of iron ore deposits, iron and steel mills, and coal minesen
1867: Establishment of Thyssen, Fossoul & Co. in Duisburg
Establishment of Thyssen & Co. in Styrum (Mülheim/Ruhr)
1872: The "General Directive" on corporate organization
1891: August Thyssen becomes owner of Gewerkschaft Deutscher Kaiser in Hamborn near Duisburg

Wilhelmine era (1892 - 1917)

1893: Acquisition of the Gruson works in Magdeburg
1895: First blast furnaces built in Hamborn (Duisburg): Gewerkschaft Deutscher Kaiser expanded to an integrated iron and steel millewerkschaft Deutscher Kaiser zum integrierten Hüttenwerk
1896: Baling hoop rolling mill built in nearby Dinslaken
1896: Establishment of an iron and steel mill in Rheinhausen near Duisburgn bei Duisburg
1899: Acquisition of the Hannibal colliery near Bochum
1902: Aktiengesellschaft für Hüttenbetrieb established, today Landschaftspark Duisburg-Nord
1903: Conversion of the company Fried. Krupp into a stock corporatione Aktiengesellschaft
1906: In-house trading and shipping organization established, internationalization of he group
1910: Steel mill built in Hagendingen / Lorraine
1912: Development of stainless, acid-resistant steels
1913: Thyssen acquires a leading position in the west German iron and steel industry behind Krupp
1914: War requires start of arms production
1917: Development of a long-barrel gun with 130 km range ("Paris gun")
1893: Acquisition of the Gruson works in Magdeburg
1895: First blast furnaces built in Hamborn (Duisburg): Gewerkschaft Deutscher Kaiser expanded to an integrated iron and steel millewerkschaft Deutscher Kaiser zum integrierten Hüttenwerk
1896: Baling hoop rolling mill built in nearby Dinslaken
1896: Establishment of an iron and steel mill in Rheinhausen near Duisburgn bei Duisburg
1899: Acquisition of the Hannibal colliery near Bochum
1902: Aktiengesellschaft für Hüttenbetrieb established, today Landschaftspark Duisburg-Nord
1903: Conversion of the company Fried. Krupp into a stock corporatione Aktiengesellschaft
1906: In-house trading and shipping organization established, internationalization of he group
1910: Steel mill built in Hagendingen / Lorraine
1912: Development of stainless, acid-resistant steels
1913: Thyssen acquires a leading position in the west German iron and steel industry behind Krupp
1914: War requires start of arms production
1917: Development of a long-barrel gun with 130 km range ("Paris gun")

Weimar Republic (1918 - 1933)

1919: Gewerkschaft Deutscher Kaiser renamed and mining operations transferred to an independent company, loss of foreign interests
1919: Switch to peace-time production
1921: Continued expansion to vertically and horizontally structured group
1926: August Thyssen dies at his residence Schloss Landsberg near Essen
1926: Major parts of the Thyssen group transferred to Vereinigte Stahlwerke AG
1926: Krupp markets WIDIA tool metal
1929: The blast furnace plant of the Essen-Borbeck iron and steel mill goes into operation
1919: Gewerkschaft Deutscher Kaiser renamed and mining operations transferred to an independent company, loss of foreign interests
1919: Switch to peace-time production
1921: Continued expansion to vertically and horizontally structured group
1926: August Thyssen dies at his residence Schloss Landsberg near Essen
1926: Major parts of the Thyssen group transferred to Vereinigte Stahlwerke AG
1926: Krupp markets WIDIA tool metal
1929: The blast furnace plant of the Essen-Borbeck iron and steel mill goes into operation

Third Reich (1933 - 1945)

Cover of the Company magazine August Thyssen Hütte AG, 1936
1934: Establishment of August Thyssen-Hütte AG as an operating company of Vereinigte Stahlwerke AG
1939: The supervisory board chairman of Vereinigte Stahlwerke AG, Fritz Thyssen, rejects the German invasion of Poland and flees to Switzerland
1940: The war effort of August Thyssen-Hütte AG
1941: Forced Labor
1941: Armament
1943: Conversion of Fried. Krupp AG into a sole proprietorship
1943-45: Air war
Cover of the Company magazine August Thyssen Hütte AG, 1936
1934: Establishment of August Thyssen-Hütte AG as an operating company of Vereinigte Stahlwerke AG
1939: The supervisory board chairman of Vereinigte Stahlwerke AG, Fritz Thyssen, rejects the German invasion of Poland and flees to Switzerland
1940: The war effort of August Thyssen-Hütte AG
1941: Forced Labor
1941: Armament
1943: Conversion of Fried. Krupp AG into a sole proprietorship
1943-45: Air war

Bonn Republic (1945 - 1997)

1947–48: The Nuremberg Krupp-Trial
1949: Dismantling halted at the Thyssenhütte mill
1953: Re-establishment of August Thyssen-Hütte AG
1953: Alfried Krupp von Bohlen und Halbach resumes management of the Krupp Group
1956: Start of horizontal diversification of August Thyssen-Hütte AG
1959: Establishment of Fritz Thyssen Foundation
1960: Addition of a trading organization
1965: Expansion of the steel base in the Krupp Group
1968: Fried. Krupp GmbH and the Alfried Krupp von Bohlen und Halbach Foundation
1969: Specialization through cooperation
1970: Expansion through horizontal diversification
1973: Growth into a conglomerate focused on steel, capital goods, trading and services
1978: Internationalization and further vertical diversification
1982: Reorganization and expansion of Group
1983: Thyssen AG concentration on group management functions and spin-off of steel activities into Thyssen Stahl AG
1991: Expansion of Thyssen Aufzüge through acquisitions in Europe and North America
1992: Merger of Fried. Krupp AG with Hoesch AG to form Fried. Krupp AG Hoesch-Krupp
1996: Concentration on core businesses
1947–48: The Nuremberg Krupp-Trial
1949: Dismantling halted at the Thyssenhütte mill
1953: Re-establishment of August Thyssen-Hütte AG
1953: Alfried Krupp von Bohlen und Halbach resumes management of the Krupp Group
1956: Start of horizontal diversification of August Thyssen-Hütte AG
1959: Establishment of Fritz Thyssen Foundation
1960: Addition of a trading organization
1965: Expansion of the steel base in the Krupp Group
1968: Fried. Krupp GmbH and the Alfried Krupp von Bohlen und Halbach Foundation
1969: Specialization through cooperation
1970: Expansion through horizontal diversification
1973: Growth into a conglomerate focused on steel, capital goods, trading and services
1978: Internationalization and further vertical diversification
1982: Reorganization and expansion of Group
1983: Thyssen AG concentration on group management functions and spin-off of steel activities into Thyssen Stahl AG
1991: Expansion of Thyssen Aufzüge through acquisitions in Europe and North America
1992: Merger of Fried. Krupp AG with Hoesch AG to form Fried. Krupp AG Hoesch-Krupp
1996: Concentration on core businesses

New Shores (1997 - present)

1997: Flat carbon steel activities of Krupp and Thyssen combined to form Thyssen Krupp Stahl AG
1999: Thyssen Krupp AG officially registered
2000: Compensation for forced labor
2002: First Transrapid journey in Shanghai
2003: First TWIN elevator in Stuttgart
2004: “Discovering future technology” initiative
2009: Restructuring at ThyssenKrupp
2010: Move to the Quarter in Essen
2001: Ceremonial celebration of Krupp's 200th anniversary
2013: Death of Berthold Beitz
2015: New brand thyssenkrupp
2017: Opening ceremony of the Testturm in Rottweil, Germany
2020: thyssenkrupp completes sale of Elevator business
2023: thyssenkrupp nucera IPO
2025: TKMS goes public following spin-off
1997: Flat carbon steel activities of Krupp and Thyssen combined to form Thyssen Krupp Stahl AG
1999: Thyssen Krupp AG officially registered
2000: Compensation for forced labor
2002: First Transrapid journey in Shanghai
2003: First TWIN elevator in Stuttgart
2004: “Discovering future technology” initiative
2009: Restructuring at ThyssenKrupp
2010: Move to the Quarter in Essen
2001: Ceremonial celebration of Krupp's 200th anniversary
2013: Death of Berthold Beitz
2015: New brand thyssenkrupp
2017: Opening ceremony of the Testturm in Rottweil, Germany
2020: thyssenkrupp completes sale of Elevator business
2023: thyssenkrupp nucera IPO
2025: TKMS goes public following spin-off

Each history on its own

How Krupp and Thyssen take their own paths to the merger

The history of Krupp The history of Thyssen