Archive/ Document Collection
About
Our collection includes unprinted sources on the history and culture of East Central Europe, with a focus on the history of Estonia, Livonia and Courland, i.e. the present-day states of Estonia and Latvia. Of approximately 1300 linear meters of shelves, about 90% deal with the Baltic States. Of particular value is the holding of Baltic archive films, which were produced in 1940 in connection with the resettlement of the Baltic Germans in Riga, Dorpat/Tartu and Reval/Tallin, as some of the originals were lost due to the effects of war.
The Baltic archive holdings are unique in the Federal Republic of Germany in terms of their temporal breadth, geographical extent and thematic diversity and richness.
We also keep the records of our own institution (Herder Institute, Johann Gottfried Herder Research Council) from 1950 to 1994.
Service
We are happy to help with your research. We also accept research requests and prepare digital copies of individual collection materials. The Institute’s fee and cost regulations apply. Please register with us before a visit.
Projects
Medializations, Normative Framings and Social Practices of Gender-Specific Ascriptions
from 2020
Hereditas Baltica – “Virtual Reading Room” for Baltic Archive Records (HerBalt)
2011-2018
