The Monumenta Germaniae Historica was founded in Frankfurt am Main on January 20, 1819. Its driving force was the statesman Freiherr vom Stein. The society set out to publish the sources of German and European history of the Middle Ages. Two hundred years later the work continues, with almost 450 volumes. A history the society published for its bicentenary calls the task letztlich auf Ewigkeit angelegt, ultimately designed for eternity, and a Daueraufgabe, a permanent task. Missing editions are named openly. Such a gap is called an Editionsdesiderat, a wanted edition.