The Workshop of Memory
The Workshop of Memory (Werkstatt der Erinnerung) is an oral history archive based at the Institute for Contemporary History in Hamburg. The archive mainly holds interviews with members of social, religious or ethnic groups in Hamburg that were persecuted by the Nazi regime.
However, we also have interviews related to the Weimar Republic and, increasingly, on more recent themes in the history of Hamburg, concerning migration, political and social movements, gender and labour history etc. Our collection currently contains more than 2200 interviews and continues to grow.
Furthermore, we archive personal documents such as letters, diaries, photographs or official documents related to our interviewees.
The archive is open to students, academic researchers, journalists, museum employees and any other individuals or groups who are engaged in historical research. We also welcome those who have conducted Oral History interviews and would like to make these available through our archive for research purposes.
In addition, we offer advice and supervision for external projects, including assistance in questions of interview conduct, archiving and project development.
If you are interested in visiting the Workshop of Memory, simply contact us by phone or e-mail to arrange an appointment.
Since most of our interviews are conducted and recorded in German, research in the archive requires a good knowledge of German. Nevertheless, we are always happy to receive and deal with enquiries in English.
Oral History Network
Launched in 2014, the Oral History Network connects academics and practitioners across the German-speaking world at research institutes, museums, and archives, as well as in the digital space, who deal with oral history and related audio and visual source materials. Having met with great interest, the Network is constantly growing. Its gatherings, which generally take place every year, have grown from small informal meetings into large conference events. Despite the large number of participants, the emphasis is still on face-to-face exchanges. The Network is coordinated by Linde Apel (FZH) and Stefan Müller (Friedrich Ebert Foundation), who were among its founding members.
Contact
Dr. Linde Apel (Director)
Tel: +49 (0)40 43 13 97 26
apel@zeitgeschichte-hamburg.de
Dr. Andrea Althaus
Tel. +49 (0)40 43 13 97 23
althaus@zeitgeschichte-hamburg.de
♿ The Research Centre for Contemporary History is partially accessible. If you are dependent on a wheelchair or other mobility aid, please inform us when you register so that we can ensure you have easy access. The wheelchair entrance is on the right-hand side of the building.
