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Historical Archive of the City of Cologne
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Historical Archive of the City of Cologne
The Historical Archive of the City of Cologne (German: Historisches Archiv der Stadt Köln, or Kölner Stadtarchiv for short) is the municipal archive of Cologne, Germany. It ranks among the largest communal archives in Europe.
A municipal archive has existed in Cologne since the Middle Ages. The oldest inventory of charters in the archive is dated 1408–1409. The oldest document kept in the archive is a charter dated 922 CE.
The archive contains official records and private documents from all ages of Cologne history, as well as an extensive library of manuscripts. While the adjective historical in its name might suggest a closed, complete archive with a focus on older history, the archive is also the official government repository responsible for collecting recent municipal records.
The six-storey archive building collapsed on 3 March 2009, along with two neighbouring apartment buildings. Two residents of these buildings were found dead. All archive staff and visitors survived, as they were able to escape upon a warning by construction workers. Around 90% of archival records were buried by the collapse, although it subsequently proved possible to rescue and repair many of them.
Construction work on a new archive began in 2016, and the new archive opened on 3 September 2021. At that time, a spokesperson for the archive estimated that restoration work will require more than 200 persons to work continuously for thirty years.
The work of communal archives in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia is based on the Archivgesetz des Landes NRW bill of 1989. The municipal archive of Cologne is also governed by the municipal archive ordinance Archivsatzung, last revised in 2007. The federal Bundesarchivgesetz bill does not apply.
An early programme of holding archival records in Cologne was the so-called shrine system (Schreinswesen), used for documenting citizens' rights. A shrine (Schrein, from Latin: scrinium) was a wooden chest or cabinet where parish administrations stored records and charters. Such shrines were used for records storage throughout the Middle Ages and into early modern times, most notably in the parish of St. Lawrence near the Cologne town hall. The records were for the most part those of real estate transactions: these were recorded on sheets of parchment or in books, which subsequently became known as shrine books (Schreinsbücher). In Cologne, these books can be traced back to 1130 CE. Similar books from the late 12th century are known from the cities of Metz and Andernach. In the 19th century, all records of the old Cologne shrine quarters were transferred to the municipal archives.
A municipal archive has existed since at least the year 1322. In 1326 the city council decided to establish the so-called white book (Weißes Buch), a book of copies of charters and privileges. By 1370 the archives were located in the Haus zur Stessen.
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Historical Archive of the City of Cologne
The Historical Archive of the City of Cologne (German: Historisches Archiv der Stadt Köln, or Kölner Stadtarchiv for short) is the municipal archive of Cologne, Germany. It ranks among the largest communal archives in Europe.
A municipal archive has existed in Cologne since the Middle Ages. The oldest inventory of charters in the archive is dated 1408–1409. The oldest document kept in the archive is a charter dated 922 CE.
The archive contains official records and private documents from all ages of Cologne history, as well as an extensive library of manuscripts. While the adjective historical in its name might suggest a closed, complete archive with a focus on older history, the archive is also the official government repository responsible for collecting recent municipal records.
The six-storey archive building collapsed on 3 March 2009, along with two neighbouring apartment buildings. Two residents of these buildings were found dead. All archive staff and visitors survived, as they were able to escape upon a warning by construction workers. Around 90% of archival records were buried by the collapse, although it subsequently proved possible to rescue and repair many of them.
Construction work on a new archive began in 2016, and the new archive opened on 3 September 2021. At that time, a spokesperson for the archive estimated that restoration work will require more than 200 persons to work continuously for thirty years.
The work of communal archives in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia is based on the Archivgesetz des Landes NRW bill of 1989. The municipal archive of Cologne is also governed by the municipal archive ordinance Archivsatzung, last revised in 2007. The federal Bundesarchivgesetz bill does not apply.
An early programme of holding archival records in Cologne was the so-called shrine system (Schreinswesen), used for documenting citizens' rights. A shrine (Schrein, from Latin: scrinium) was a wooden chest or cabinet where parish administrations stored records and charters. Such shrines were used for records storage throughout the Middle Ages and into early modern times, most notably in the parish of St. Lawrence near the Cologne town hall. The records were for the most part those of real estate transactions: these were recorded on sheets of parchment or in books, which subsequently became known as shrine books (Schreinsbücher). In Cologne, these books can be traced back to 1130 CE. Similar books from the late 12th century are known from the cities of Metz and Andernach. In the 19th century, all records of the old Cologne shrine quarters were transferred to the municipal archives.
A municipal archive has existed since at least the year 1322. In 1326 the city council decided to establish the so-called white book (Weißes Buch), a book of copies of charters and privileges. By 1370 the archives were located in the Haus zur Stessen.
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