The Archive of the GDNÄ

The archive of the GDNÄ was handed over to the archive of the Deutsches Museum in Munich in 1989. Most of the archives date back to the period after 1945. Most of the older records were confiscated by Soviet troops at the end of the war and have since been lost. Individual original files from the time before 1945 come from the private possession of board members.

Several meetings from 1897 to 1960 are documented by thin folders. From 1960 onwards, the records become more dense.

The GDNÄ archives contain the following types of documents:

  • Individual files, including those on the Board of Directors and the Scientific Committee (1966 to 1987).
  • Files on amendments to the statutes from 1914 to 1920 and on the Teaching Commission (1904 to 1909).
  • From 1893 to 1921, the “Tagblätter”, “Amtlichen Berichte” and “Verhandlungen” of the respective assembly as well as representative commemorative publications of the respective meeting places are available.
  • Around 400 individual photographs document the meetings from 1964 to 1990.
  • Photographs of portraits of the founder of the GDNÄ, Lorenz Oken, are also archived.

The archive of the Deutsches Museum is a generally accessible archive that is available to interested parties free of charge. Visitors are welcome during opening hours (weekdays from 9 am to 5 pm, excluding public holidays).

High-quality digital images can be ordered from the Deutsches Museum’s image department.

Exciting insights into the workings and history of the archive can be found in interviews with long-time archive director Dr Wilhelm Füßl and with Dr Matthias Röschner, who has been in charge of the archive since 2021. In the commemorative publication for the 200th anniversary of the GDNÄ “Wenn der Funken überspringt” (When the spark flies), the GDNÄ archive in the Deutsches Museum (PDF) is presented in detail.

Festschrift, 71. Versammlung, München, 1899 © GDNÄ

Title page of the commemorative publication for the 71st Meeting of the GDNÄ. It took place in Munich in 1899.

Blick über die Ludwigsbrücke © Deutsches Museum

View over Munich’s Ludwigsbrücke bridge to the Deutsches Museum.

To the Archive of the GDNÄ

Deutsches Museum Archiv
Museumsinsel
80538 München
Telefon: +49 89 2179 220
>> archiv@deutsches-museum.de
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