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VDI – The Association of German Engineers

Logo: Verein Deutscher Ingenieure e.V., Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons4

German engineering and natural science organization

Verein Deutscher Ingenieure (VDI; transl. Association of German Engineers) is an organisation of about 135,000 engineers and natural scientists. More than 12,000 honorary experts process the latest technical findings each year to promote the technology location.2 It was founded by Heinrich Lezius, Carl Bischof, Friedrich Euler and Wilhelm von Kankelwitz and others.1 Wikipedia text CC BY-SA 4.0

Last updated Oct 21, 2026.

Overview

May 12, 1856Founded1
  • Industryactivities of professional membership organisations, research and experimental development on natural sciences and engineering, voluntary sector1
  • HeadquartersDüsseldorf, Germany1
  • Founded inAlexisbad1
  • Websitewww.vdi.de
  • Legal formRegistered association (eingetragener Verein)1
  • Kind of organizationClub1
  • LEI391200YQ7LXNY1TJ5X063
  • StatusActive3
  • LEI statusIssued and current3
  • Registered addressVDI-Platz 1, 40468 Düsseldorf, Germany3
  • Registered withLocal Court Düsseldorf, VR 41613

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Verein Deutscher Ingenieure (VDI; transl. Association of German Engineers) is an organisation of about 135,000 engineers and natural scientists. More than 12,000 honorary experts process the latest technical findings each year to promote the technology location. Established in 1856, it is the largest engineering association in Western Europe.2

Corporate structure

VDI – The Association of German Engineers sits at the top of its group. 3 entities, 1 country on record. Switch between the flow chart and the network, and select any entity to see its details.

  • VDI – The Association of German Engineers Düsseldorf, Germany
    • VDI Technology Center Subsidiary · Düsseldorf, Germany
    • Deutsche Gesellschaft für Metallkunde Subsidiary · Germany

Built from parent and subsidiary links from GLEIF, the Global Legal Entity Identifier Foundation (CC0); subsidiaries, stakes and holdings from Wikidata (CC0). Each entity in the chart links to its source.

The story

Founded by Carl Bischof, Franz Grashof, Friedrich Euler, Heinrich Caro, Heinrich Lezius, Joseph Pützer, Richard Peters and Wilhelm von Kankelwitz on May 12, 1856, in Alexisbad.1

The organisation was founded on May 12, 1856 by fellow researchers from the Academic Fraternity Hütte, in the small town of Alexisbad, with the first journal officially being released to the public in 1857. In 1866 the VDI helped establish the predecessor of Technischer Überwachungsverein, the Dampfkesselüberwachungsvereinen (transl. Steam boiler inspection association). At the time, engineering was not regarded to be of the same ranking as scientific disciplines, which the VDI changed in 1899, with the re-categorisation of the Technische Hochschule as a type of University. In 1923 the VDI Verlag was founded, publishing monthly newspapers which are distributed to members. After the Second World War the VDI moved its headquarters from Berlin to Düsseldorf, where it remains now today. It also helped establish the Arbeitsgemeinschaft für Kerntechnik (transl. Society for Nuclear Technology) in 1956, which resulted in the German Atomforum, in 1959. In recent times, the VDI worked in conjunction with EXPO 2000 Hannover GmbH to establish the first worldwide engineering day.

From Wikipedia’s article on Verein Deutscher Ingenieure, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.5

Leadership

Who has led VDI – The Association of German Engineers, and when. Pick a name to see everywhere that person has worked.

Board members and other officers (30)

Subsidiaries and ownership

Subsidiaries

From Wikidata.1

Timeline

  1. May 12, 1856Founded Founded in Alexisbad1

Sources

The numbers on this page point here. Each one links to the record it came from.

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