Ethnicity Swedish
Danish
Jewish Traditions Judaism | Current region Sweden Estate Sweden | |
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Place of origin Sobědruhy (Soborten) in Bohemia (now in Czech Republic) | ||
The Bonnier family is a Swedish family of Jewish origin, who since the beginning of the 19th century has been active in the book industry and later also in the mass media industry. They own the media group Bonnier Group, which has 175 companies in 18 countries.
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History
The earliest known member of the patriarchal line of the family was a cloth salesman named Jacob Schye (born 1674), who was from the town of Sobědruhy (Soborten) in Bohemia (now in the Czech Republic). His son, the jeweler Löbel Schie (1718–1790), fathered the jeweler and coin dealer Löbel Salomon Hirschel (born 1745). Hirschel's son, Gutkind Hirschel (1778–1862), moved from Germany to Copenhagen, Denmark, in 1801 and changed his name to Gerhard Bonnier. There, Gerhard started a small book store in 1804.
Gerhard's oldest son, Adolf Bonnier (1806–1867), moved to Gothenburg, Sweden, in 1827 to expand the family business. He started a library in the city the following year and another one in Stockholm a few years after. Adolf Bonnier started a publishing company, Albert Bonniers Förlag in 1837 and his two younger brothers, David Felix Bonnier (1822–1881) and Albert Bonnier (1820–1900), soon moved to Stockholm to help with the business.