The history of Merck
Information at a glance:
- Data on the history of the oldest pharmaceutical and chemical company in the world
- The name Merck
- Possibilities for research and communication at Corporate History
If you’d like to find out more, please use the interactive application “A voyage through Merck's history”.
| 1668 | Friedrich Jacob Merck acquires the Angel Pharmacy ("Engel-Apotheke") |
| 1741 | Johann Heinrich Merck, Goethe's friend, is born |
| 1827 | Emanuel Merck: from a pharmacy trade to a research-based industrial company |
| 1888 | Comparative chemical analysis with "Merck's guaranteed pure reagents" |
| 1900 | Merck is represented on all continents |
| 1904 | First list of finished medicinal products; Substances with liquid crystalline properties available |
| 1917 | U.S. subsidiary Merck & Co. expropriated - independent ever since |
| 1920 | For the first time, non-family members join the executive management |
| 1945 | Loss of subsidiaries abroad, in Darmstadt new start from the ruins |
| 1971 | Firm re-establishement in the United States – after Asia and Latin America |
| 1995 | Establishment of Merck KGaA, public listing |
| 2003 | Erbitux®: Entry into targeted cancer therapy |
| 2007 | Serono acquisition, divestment of Generics, capital increase, admission to the DAX® |
| 2010 | Millipore acquisition |
The two are confused again and again – and yet the direct association between Merck KGaA in Darmstadt and the U.S. pharmaceutical company Merck & Co., Whitehouse Station, New Jersey, ended a long time ago.
Merck in Darmstadt is the oldest pharmaceutical and chemical company in the world – and still operates successfully today in both the pharmaceutical and chemical sectors. Merck & Co. became an independent company after World War I.
Our historical roots lie in Darmstadt, where Friedrich Jacob Merck acquired the Engel-Apotheke (“Angel Pharmacy”) in 1668. In 1827, Heinrich Emanuel Merck began the industrial-scale production of alkaloids, plant extracts and other chemicals.
The successful export business in the United States led in 1887 to the establishment of a subsidiary in New York. Under Georg Merck, a grandson of Heinrich Emanuel Merck, Merck & Co. was formed in 1891. Following the confiscation of properties that took place as a result of World War I, Merck & Co. became an independent American company.
The two companies are no longer linked to one another today – the only thing they still have in common is the name Merck. Merck & Co. holds the rights to the name within North America; outside this region the U.S. company operates as Merck Sharp and Dohme (MSD) or MSD Sharp & Dohme. Merck KGaA, in turn, holds the rights elsewhere in the world and operates in North America under the umbrella brand EMD, formed from the initials of Emanuel Merck, Darmstadt.
Merck in Darmstadt is the oldest pharmaceutical and chemical company in the world – and still operates successfully today in both the pharmaceutical and chemical sectors. Merck & Co. became an independent company after World War I.
Our historical roots lie in Darmstadt, where Friedrich Jacob Merck acquired the Engel-Apotheke (“Angel Pharmacy”) in 1668. In 1827, Heinrich Emanuel Merck began the industrial-scale production of alkaloids, plant extracts and other chemicals.
The successful export business in the United States led in 1887 to the establishment of a subsidiary in New York. Under Georg Merck, a grandson of Heinrich Emanuel Merck, Merck & Co. was formed in 1891. Following the confiscation of properties that took place as a result of World War I, Merck & Co. became an independent American company.
The two companies are no longer linked to one another today – the only thing they still have in common is the name Merck. Merck & Co. holds the rights to the name within North America; outside this region the U.S. company operates as Merck Sharp and Dohme (MSD) or MSD Sharp & Dohme. Merck KGaA, in turn, holds the rights elsewhere in the world and operates in North America under the umbrella brand EMD, formed from the initials of Emanuel Merck, Darmstadt.
As the oldest pharmaceutical and chemical company in the world, Merck is a valuable source for many topics: issues concerning the company, brand and product history as well as the history of the Merck family or the Angel Pharmacy (“Engel-Apotheke”), aspects of corporate responsibility, legal foundation or core of corporate identity – from 1668 up to the present day.
There are possibilities for information and communication in four areas:
The reference library contains more than 8,000 books and an extensive collection of journals. There is an extremely wide variety of topics, ranging from recipe and herb books of the 15th century to expert literature on corporate strategy of the 21st century.
Lectures and smaller symposia are also held in the exhibition rooms.
There are possibilities for information and communication in four areas:
Archive and historical library
The information sources include: about 2,000 meters of hand-written and printed archive material, such as letters, contracts, patents, laboratory journals, manufacturing specifications and advertisements. The oldest documents are about 400 years old. There are over 150,000 photos and films illustrating the last 150 years of corporate history. Over 270 interviews with former Merck employees contribute significantly to understanding company-internal developments. Digital storage media round off the “classical” forms of documentation.The reference library contains more than 8,000 books and an extensive collection of journals. There is an extremely wide variety of topics, ranging from recipe and herb books of the 15th century to expert literature on corporate strategy of the 21st century.
Museum and “auditorium”
Corporate history is presented as a prerequisite for a successful present. The focus is on people. The authenticity of the objects in an innovative development concept gives a tangible understanding of everyday life and work within a company: pharmacy activities, industrial research, production, administration, company sports, canteen and childcare facilities.Lectures and smaller symposia are also held in the exhibition rooms.
