Established in 1987 by Prof. Dr. h. c. mult. Reinhold and Carmen Würth as a civil law foundation based in Künzelsau, Germany, the Würth Foundation promotes charitable and benevolent purposes. The Foundation currently has a total capital of EUR 12.6 million.

The Würth Foundation promotes numerous projects in the fields of art and culture, research and science, education and training, and integration—primarily in the Heilbronn-Franconia region, the home of the Würth Group. The activities are supported by the German Würth Group companies, in particular Adolf Würth GmbH & Co. KG.

WÜRTH FOUNDATION

A memorial wreath made of steel measuring 1.60 meters in diameter and adorned with 1,000 metal flowers: This unique piece was made by customers and employees of the Würth Group, showcasing their precise craftsmanship specifically for this year’s German Remembrance Day. At the initiative of Carmen Würth and with the financial support of the Würth Foundation, Volksbund Deutsche Kriegsgräberfürsorge e. V., a humanitarian organization charged by the government of the Federal Republic of Germany with recording, maintaining, and caring for the graves of German war casualties abroad, was able to turn this idea into a reality. The wreath was hung as part of the central service held at Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church in Berlin on 15 November 2020. In Germany, blue forget-me-nots serve as a reminder of the importance of peace. In the UK and the other Commonwealth countries from Canada to New Zealand, the same meaning is reflected in red poppies. “Today our countries stand together as indispensable partners in almost every field of endeavor imaginable,” said His Royal Highness Prince Charles in his Remembrance Day speech at the German Bundestag.

In March 2020, the Würth Group donated to UNICEF, the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund, to support refugees on the Turkish-Greek border. EUR 250,000 will primarily go to help refugee children who are in urgent need of water, food, shelter, and medical care. Since the start of the Syrian conflict, Turkey has been an involuntary home for 3.7 million refugees from Syria and other countries. “The situation facing the refugees on the Turkish-Greek border, especially women and children, is not sustainable. As a company with global operations, this is an area in which we need to live up to our responsibility,” explains Bettina Würth, Chairwoman of the Advisory Board of the Würth Group. UNICEF and its partners in Turkey are working hard to protect the children and provide them with basic necessities. “Refugee children have ended up in this desperate situation through no fault of their own. We would like to thank the Würth Group for this spontaneous sign of humanity in a difficult situation,” said Georg Graf Waldersee, Chairman of UNICEF Germany.

Würth attaches great importance to critical exchange. Würth Haus Berlin and Würth Office Brussels provide advice and give their opinions on national and international political events. From the perspective of a commercial company with global operations, international trade issues are becoming increasingly important. In our globalized and digitally driven world, global economic links can only be shaped together. Given the mounting trade conflicts, climate policy challenges, the weak position of established institutions, shifts in military power, and repression, dialog between the world of business and governments is becoming a key challenge. Würth is a vehement advocate of free and rule-based world trade and practices it in more than 80 countries worldwide.

Companies and policymakers are well advised to stay in constant contact with each other. The political representative offices in Berlin and Brussels rise to this challenge by organizing rounds of talks and conferences and by taking a stand. This applies especially in times of crisis within the European Union. Debates have to pave the way toward legislation, because Würth is convinced that the only future is a European one.

At the initiative of Carmen Würth, Würth has been supporting Special Olympics Germany—the German organization of the world’s largest sporting event for people with mental and multiple disabilities—since 2008. Some 900 employees have supported the event as volunteers ever since.

At the Special Olympics Germany Winter Games held from 2 to 6 March 2020 in Berchtesgaden, where 900 athletes competed in eight disciplines, 50 Würth volunteers ensured that the snowshoe trekking and speed skating events ran smoothly.

In June 2023, Berlin will host the Special Olympics World Games, the world’s largest sporting event for people with mental disabilities, making them the first World Games to be held on German soil! On 30 January 2020, the contract was signed at Bellevue Palace in the presence of guests such as German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and Carmen and Reinhold Würth.

“Everyone can do something,” is how Carmen Würth summarizes her commitment to helping people with disabilities. She devotes her time to bringing people with and without disabilities together in order to foster understanding and acceptance.

Hotel-Restaurant Anne-Sophie in Künzelsau is one example that does an impressive job of showing guests that this concept can be a recipe for success. Learning from one another, being there for each other—this describes working life for the employees at the hotel that she called into being. In the kitchen, in service, in housekeeping: Everyone pitches in, with or without disabilities. The hotel currently employs a workforce of 90, around one quarter of whom have disabilities.

Since August 2020, Altes Amtshaus in Ailringen, a second branch of Hotel-Restaurant Anne-Sophie, has been operating as a bed-and-breakfast hotel without restaurant service. The previous chef de cuisine and Michelin-star chef Sebastian Wiese is moving to restaurant handicap. at Hotel-Restaurant Anne-Sophie in Künzelsau.

The new “Kocherwerk—Haus der Verbindungstechnik” museum and event venue in the district of Hohenlohe is scheduled to open in June 2021. The project will be realized in a building complex surrounding the historic red mill in Forchtenberg-Ernsbach, which was renovated in 2020 in line with guidelines for historical monuments. The venue’s new purpose will remain true to its roots: It was here that, back in 1898, the company L. & C. Arnold produced the first industrially manufactured screws in the region. The company has since evolved into a cluster of around 30 companies manufacturing or trading in screws and fasteners with a workforce of more than 10,000 employees. At the Kocherwerk site, an interactive exhibition for young and old will bring the 120-year history and technologies of the fastening industry to life over an area spanning 400 square meters. School students can also obtain information on vocational training. The Kocherwerk venue is operated by the Förderer des Schrauben- und Befestigungsclusters Hohenlohe e. V. association, which was initiated in 2018 by Prof. Dr. h. c. mult. Reinhold Würth and currently brings together 17 companies in the region, including nine Würth Group companies.

Team spirit, the willingness to perform, and giving one’s all are values that define the corporate culture of the Würth Group and are also essential characteristics of sports. This is why we are committed to the world of sports as a sponsor in a wide variety of areas. Würth has been supporting the German Ski Association as one of two main sponsors since 2002 and has invited top athletes from all six association disciplines to Adolf Würth Airport in Schwäbisch Hall—in compliance with all applicable hygiene regulations—for their official outfitting in 2020. The Würth Group is also involved in the world of soccer: Würth has been involved in Bundesliga soccer since 1990. We have been sponsoring referees and linesmen in the Primera and Segunda División, the first and second Spanish soccer leagues, since 2003. Würth is also committed to motor sports: Würth is an official sponsor of the PENSKE team in the American Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series.