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Guide to Inventories and Finding Aids at the German Historical Institute Washington, D.C.

Ulrike Skorsetz     Janine Micunek     Luzie Nahr

Hypertext version by Raimund Lammersdorf


Introduction

General References

Archives in the Federal Republic of Germany

Archives in Austria and Switzerland

Guides to German Records Microfilmed at Alexandria, Virginia



Introduction

With the publication of the second revised and expanded edition of the Guide to Inventories and Finding Aids at the German Historical Institute in Washington, D.C., we intend to provide specialists in German history, in particular our American colleagues, with a manual of sources that will potentially be of use to them in preparing for archival research in Germany. The guide lists the inventories and finding aids of German archives that the Institute's library has made part of its collection just for that purpose.

Since the first guide appeared some years ago, we have acquired many new materials, including those from archives located in the new federal states, although many of their catalogs are either not yet in published form or are otherwise not attainable. Fortunately, however, some archivists did provide us with short lists of their collections, and these are available at the Institute upon request. The response from business or industrial archives, which in the former GDR were quite abundant, was meager, due no doubt to the economic situation of the majority of these businesses. To a large extent, their archival material has been transferred to the nearest city, county, or state archive. The holdings of party and mass organizations on the regional and local levels (Bezirk, Kreis, Stadt) have experienced a similar fate.

The archives are listed in alphabetical order of the cities or towns in which they are located, beginning with Staats- and Stadtarchive, and the Findmittel are listed under the archives from which they were acquired or were responsible for their publication. The order in which the books appear in the guide should reflect that in which they are shelved in our library. The index was produced electronically using certain key words, places, and names. And, while we have tried to keep pace with the numerous changes of archival names, addresses, and telephone and fax numbers, one should bear in mind that the transformation of the German archival landscape is still by no means complete.

The German Historical Institute will continue to pursue the acquisition of finding aids and inventories from archives throughout Germany; therefore, it is always good policy to contact us with regard to the most current information. The Institute also collects many leaflets, brochures, and essays on German archives and their holdings, as well as a substantial body of correspondence with German archivists, that may be of additional interest to researchers. They include information on the use of archives; regulations and fees; publications series; and suggested reading.

Many people contributed to the compilation and production of the guide, and we are grateful to all of them for their contributions. In particular, we would like to recognize Axel Frohn, who put together the first edition of this guide and paved the way for the second, and all the archivists who cooperated in sending us information about their institutions and their holdings. Many thanks also go to our colleagues in the Institute's library, primarily to Luzie Nahr, who painstakingly checked and double-checked titles and kept us abreast of the newest arrivals. Finally, we could not have done without the assistance of a few interns, especially Corinna Hörst, who provided a great deal of technical support during the preliminary stages of production.