The Archive

The FZH maintains a public archive that corresponds to the research focus of the institute. It includes holdings on the social and cultural history as well as the history of mentality of the 20th century in the region of Hamburg and northern Germany, in particular the history of National Socialism, its pre- and post-history, the labour movement, political resistance as well as coming to terms with and redressing National Socialist injustice after the Second World War. More recently, sources on everyday political culture and documents on sexuality and gender studies have also been included.

With the founding of the "Research Centre for the History of Hamburg 1933 to 1945" in 1949, work began on building up a pool of sources for academic work. Contemporary witness accounts, diaries, copies and transcripts of documents from private collections, archives and authorities were compiled.

This internal collection of material was systematically expanded from 1960 onwards in the "Research Centre for the History of National Socialism in Hamburg" and also made accessible to external users. After the Hamburg Library for Social History and the Labour Movement was founded in 1966 and affiliated to the Research Centre, extensive files were handed over by the DGB (German Confederation of Trade Unions, Hamburg branch) and the SPD (Social Democratic Party of Germany, Hamburg branch). Increasingly, personal papers, private archives, newspaper clipping collections and files from non-governmental organizations found their way into the archive, which today comprises around 800 linear metres of archival material.

The FZH archive maintains a close professional exchange with other archives and collections. It participates in the Hamburg Archives Working Group (AHA) as well as in the Hamburg Heritage Network (HÜV-NL).

Contact

Kirsten Schaper, head of the archives
phone +49 40 431397-36
schaper@zeitgeschichte-hamburg.de