About us

Two brands. A shared foundation in cartography.

KOMPASS freytag & berndt combines the strengths of two brands rich in tradition, both of which have stood for reliable maps, high-quality content, and in-depth geographical expertise for decades.

While KOMPASS is primarily known for outdoor expertise, trail and route knowledge, and digital applications, freytag & berndt brings a long history as a classic cartographic publisher—with a particular focus on road maps, city maps, and atlases. Together, they create a broad portfolio that meaningfully combines analog and digital solutions.

In the B2B sector, KOMPASS freytag & berndt bundles these competencies to offer geodata, cartographic content, and technical solutions that can be integrated into a wide range of applications—from platforms and apps to custom projects.

The foundation for this is an understanding of space, orientation, and map usability that has been cultivated over decades.

History

1885: freytag & berndt is founded in Vienna and develops into one of the leading cartographic publishers in the German-speaking region.

1952: KOMPASS is established as a publisher specializing in hiking and leisure maps, building a strong presence particularly in the Alpine region.

1960s–1980s: KOMPASS establishes itself as a leading provider of outdoor maps. Meanwhile, freytag & berndt continuously expands its classic map portfolio.

1990s: The digitization of cartographic content begins, alongside the development of structured datasets.

2005: Integration of KOMPASS and freytag & berndt into the MairDumont Group, one of Europe's leading travel information companies (including brands like Marco Polo, ADAC, and Falk).

2010–2015: Expansion of digital applications, route databases, and the first online platform solutions.

From approx. 2015: Development of API-based solutions and an increased focus on geodata as a standalone product.

Today: KOMPASS freytag & berndt combines classic cartography with digital applications, developing data, content, and platform solutions for both B2B and consumer applications.