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List of oldest companies: Before 1300

416 points| aleyan | 8 years ago |en.wikipedia.org | reply

198 comments

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[+] billmalarky|8 years ago|reply
I've had the amazing opportunity to stay at Hoshi Inn (4th oldest on the list)! I keep the card on my desk (https://i.imgur.com/AyWUGhg.png :-)

The courtyard garden the inn is built around is absolutely stunning, and the hot springs were the best out of all the ryokans we stayed at in Japan. The best part though is the hotel is actively managed and operated by the family - these wonderful people will meet you at the door.

There is concern about the future of the hotel, as the son who was assumed to take on ownership of the inn passed away suddenly, leaving the responsibility to the adult daughter. She's seems exceptionally capable (not to mention is incredibly pleasant), but she is unmarried/childless and seems unsure of her desire to marry or assume ownership of the inn. Clearly it would not be the same if the business continued on operated by someone outside the family.

I highly recommend watching this short film about the situation: https://vimeo.com/114879061

edit: replaced "bloodline" with "family" as I've been told Japanese culture resolves bloodline continuity issues via adult adoption.

[+] navidfarhadi|8 years ago|reply
The oldest name on this list that stood out to me is Weihenstephan brewery, founded in 1040 in Bavaria, Germany. They have some of the finest lagers I have ever tried. If you enjoy crisp, refreshing lager beers, I highly recommend their beers. My favorite one is probably the Weihenstephaner Hefeweissbier, followed by the Hefeweissbier Dunkel.

Note: I am not affiliated in any way with the company, I just highly enjoy their beers.

[+] rplnt|8 years ago|reply
I think it's hard to argue it's the same company in some cases. The breweries in particular used to be a brewery in said city (the city had right to have a brewery). Different owners, different locations, later different legal companies, periods of inactivity, etc.. The continuity is lost beyond "there was a brewery in this town 600 year ago".
[+] gist|8 years ago|reply
The list is interesting entertainment but I am skeptical about how they determine oldest other than what a wikipedia page says in some cases.

It's not like we are talking about dates which have been certified by experts at auction houses for personal property.

[+] geofft|8 years ago|reply
Wow, this web page looks like it hasn't been updated since 1439: http://www.luebeckaltstadthotel.de/
[+] tobinfricke|8 years ago|reply
* Loads instantly

* Provides all relevant information at a glance

Needs more Javascript?

[+] patja|8 years ago|reply
When you are successful and have stood the test of time, who needs a website? In 100 years or so, there probably won't be such a thing as html in popular use any longer.
[+] jcadam|8 years ago|reply
Couldn't resist a look at the page source. Absolutely no javascript.

Oh, and:

  <!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 3.2 Final//EN">
Nice :)
[+] ambrosite|8 years ago|reply
I love coming across old sites like that. So much nostalgia. :)
[+] JohnStrange|8 years ago|reply
It contains all the information you need, loads immediately, etc. It's a perfect web page.
[+] throwwwwaway9|8 years ago|reply
>>Wow, this web page looks like it hasn't been updated since 1439

Can't be, internet wasn't created until the 17th century.

On the other hand, all the relevant info is there. Maybe looking "old" is by design, being a very old hotel and all?

[+] jrowley|8 years ago|reply
I appreciate their animated gifs.
[+] laurentoget|8 years ago|reply
prices are in euros so it has been updated sometimes in the 21st century.
[+] strictnein|8 years ago|reply
Equally interesting would a list of companies that lasted for 500, 750, or a 1000 years but then failed.

Imagine being the last person to run a 1000 year old company.

[+] INTPenis|8 years ago|reply
Well the oldest company on that list was bought and now only exists as a subsidiary. Imagine being the person behind that decision. To end a 1500 year old dynasty with the stroke of a pen.
[+] GotAnyMegadeth|8 years ago|reply
I felt quite sad to read the fate of the top of that list

> Kongō Gumi Co., Ltd. (株式会社金剛組 Kabushiki Gaisha Kongō Gumi) is a Japanese construction company which was the world's oldest continuously ongoing independent company, operating for over 1,400 years until it was absorbed as a subsidiary of Takamatsu in 2006.

[+] TomMarius|8 years ago|reply
It wasn't absorbed just because, the company has collapsed.
[+] jweir|8 years ago|reply
One take away from this list is that no software firms have survived. I would recommend hotels or booze if you want a business to last.
[+] ergest|8 years ago|reply
Serve an eternal need and you'll have an eternal business
[+] Cyberdog|8 years ago|reply
The list ends at 1700. There weren't many software companies around at the time.

(Oh, wait, is that the joke? Sorry.)

[+] divbzero|8 years ago|reply
This was likely said in jest but also contains a solid kernel of truth.

On the other hand, the same forces that make for high turnover in the software industry also make it more fertile for new startups.

[+] iagooar|8 years ago|reply
The oldest restaurant in Europe is in Wroclaw: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piwnica_Świdnicka

I once went there without knowing the fact, and it amazed me. It feels so different to sit between those old walls, trying to imagine how the place used to be before or during WWII, or in the 13th century...

[+] philjohn|8 years ago|reply
I grew up in Waterloo, Belgium. There's a museum there where one half is dedicated to the Battle of Waterloo, and the other side is a museum of the town history. There's a photo of the road right outside the building taken during German occupation with swastika banners lining either side ... and then you look out the window and see the current scene, it's eerie.
[+] kaeluka|8 years ago|reply
Stiftskeller St. Peter is much older, according to this list: before 803.
[+] mrarjen|8 years ago|reply
Weihenstephan is still one of my fav breweries. Would be nice to see articles regarding how some of these companies managed to keep going for this long.
[+] trevyn|8 years ago|reply
“Be in a timeless industry” seems to have heavy weighting :-)

Most are hospitality or alcohol production, it looks like.

[+] twobyfour|8 years ago|reply
The older tiers of this list seem to be heavily dominated by Japan, Germany, and Switzerland. Is that reflective of something other than the demographics of non-"New World" contributors to Wikipedia?
[+] turc1656|8 years ago|reply
It's really incredible to see something like this. I was disheartened to see that Kongō Gumi was acquired in 2006 after 1,400+ years in business. It's just hard to wrap your mind around. But to see hotels and wineries that have existed for over a millennia is really quite amazing.
[+] jpatokal|8 years ago|reply
I hate to rain on the parade, but many of the ancient Japanese inn entries are a bit dubious. They're mostly based on traveler's reports that there was an inn at X/a new hot spring was found at X in year Y being conflated with the fact that there's an inn at X now: they may well be the same, but it's hardly ironclad proof of continuous operation.
[+] Zenst|8 years ago|reply
There sure is alot of pub and accommodation entries, but then that is one area that technology and indeed, industrialization and the other progressive phases in society have not impacted as much as other industries.

On a positive and encourage note - not one single manufacturer of weapons listed at all.

[+] linopolus|8 years ago|reply
Sorry to disappoint you:

1526 Beretta Italy Firearms

1578 Klett Germany Firearms

1674 Sabatti Italy Firearms

[+] cjalmeida|8 years ago|reply
Likely because guns went through a lot of recent technology disruptions.

Nonetheless, Colt was founded in 1855 and is doing fine. Unless laser handguns become a thing I don't see them going down for the foreseeable future.

[+] alangibson|8 years ago|reply
Hirter beer still sucks, even if it has been around since 1270.
[+] krsdcbl|8 years ago|reply
Funny, i actually really like Hirter - specially their more traditional red beers
[+] mongol|8 years ago|reply
StoraEnso is marked as Finland, but that is due to a recent merger and the location of the HQ of the current company. The company Stora Kopparberg operated a mine in Falun, Sweden from which company shares exist from 1288.
[+] bewatson|8 years ago|reply
Interestingly, the list lower on the page that has companies from 1300 to 1399 is twice as long. Does anyone know if something significant happened in the world that leaves so many more companies from that century around?
[+] crappybird|8 years ago|reply
Should not the church be on top of this list?
[+] interfixus|8 years ago|reply
I was thinking there would be a very good case for the Vatican to occupy the number one spot.

Whether seen solely as the papal organisation , or as a kind of continuation of the (Western) Roman Empire, these guys have been in day to day business for at least close to two thousand years. And have the archives to prove it. Wanna check up on some royal correspondance from the year 500? They may well have the actual letters stashed away somewhere.

Also: I don't really think the for-profit filter disqualifies them here.

[+] turc1656|8 years ago|reply
This list looks like it includes for-profit only. Also, with the church, it's "company" status is relegated on a per-country basis, usually to gain non-profit taxation benefits. So it's a little murky there.
[+] atomic77|8 years ago|reply
Something I can't help but notice: all of the countries on the list are currently wealthy, advanced economies.

Cause or effect?

[+] jedberg|8 years ago|reply
Both? Most likely it's because those countries have strong traditions of record keeping and have been fairly stable culturally.
[+] krick|8 years ago|reply
"Wealthy, advanced economies" is quite extensible concept. There are some small, not so wealthy countries on the list. No real correlation here.

And if you are wondering, why Nigeria is not on the list — well, isn't it obvious? I mean, even if the country was very successful during its history, but barely keeping on the float right now — probably the 1000 y.o. family business wouldn't be currently active as well.

[+] jotm|8 years ago|reply
They didn't bother with lesser known countries, good record keeping, fewer wars, definition of company.