Archive of Contemporary History
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The Archive of Contemporary History (Archiv für Zeitgeschichte) is part of the Institute for History at ETH Zurich and serves as the archive for the history of Switzerland from the late 19th century to the present. It preserves and catalogues personal estates as well as institutional archives (textual, audio, and visual documents) from private collections and makes these historical sources accessible to the public.
History[edit]
Until the 1970s, the archives for contemporary history were either closed or had strict access restrictions, limiting historical research to the First World War. In 1966, young historians led by Klaus Urner and Rudolf Humm founded the Arbeitsgruppe für Zeitgeschichte (AfZ) (Working Group for Contemporary History) and, with the help of then-ETH President Karl Schmid, established a documentation center. Among their supporters was Jean-François Bergier.
In 1991, the AfZ was able to acquire the holdings of the Swiss Trade and Industry Association (Vorort), which provided a special documentation area for Swiss economics. Since 1980, the archive has also received files from the economic and foreign affairs editorial department of the Neue Zürcher Zeitung.
In 2007, Gregor Spuhler, former project leader of the Independent Commission of Experts Switzerland – Second World War, took over the management of the archive and the then 24-member team from Klaus Urner.[1]
Purpose[edit]
As part of ETH Zurich's strategic orientation, the Archive for Contemporary History fulfills a task of national importance by preserving and maintaining Swiss cultural heritage. As a special archive, it complements the state's archival collection. Its services promote teaching and research on Swiss contemporary history in an international context.
Archive Holdings[edit]
The archive has three thematic focuses on Swiss contemporary history:
- Political contemporary history (personal estates, institutional archives)
- Economy and contemporary history (economic and foreign economic policy)
- Jewish contemporary history (Research Center to Prevent Forgetting)
Examples[edit]
Elisabeth Kopp, first female member of the Swiss Federal Council
Elisabeth Eidenbenz, founder of the Maternité suisse d'Elne
Hans Ulrich Steger, collection with around 1800 political cartoons
Elsbeth Kasser collection: Gurs. An Internment Camp in Southern France 1939–1943. 173 drawings and watercolors
Swiss Intelligence Service / Swiss Association for Democracy (SAD): Historical Archive (1947–1990)
Research[edit]
The archive operates a public reading room in the center of Zurich where the archival holdings can be consulted. Research can be conducted using AfZ Online Archives (reading room version with archival database search capabilities for all metadata and digital reproductions made available in the reading room) and AfZ Audiovisuals (web client for researching audiovisual archive material in the AfZ).
Online, location-independent research in finding aids and digitized sources is offered:
- List of Holdings: Entry-level research using descriptive information about the holdings
- AfZ Online Archives: Archival database search using all online published metadata for individual items (dossier level) as well as publicly accessible digital reproductions
- AfZ Online Collections: Digitized print works in full text
- AfZ Quickaccess: Browsing selected image collections
- Periodika-Datenbank Schweizer Judentum (Periodicals Database on Swiss Judaism): Database of press reports in Jewish periodicals
- Archives Online: Portal for researching archival material in various archives
Publications[edit]
Public events, comprehensive annual reports, a scientific series, exhibitions, and the archive's own website serve to provide information about the activities, archive holdings, and new research findings.
See also[edit]
Schweizerisches Sozialarchiv (Swiss Social Archives)
Literature[edit]
Klaus Urner et al. (eds.): Das Archiv für Zeitgeschichte und seine Bestände (The Archive for Contemporary History and Its Holdings). NZZ-Verlag, Zurich 1999, ISBN 3-85823-763-9.
External links[edit]
- Archiv für Zeitgeschichte website
- Der Archivar mit dem Tonband. (The Archivist with the Tape Recorder) In: NZZ am Sonntag, August 26, 2007
- Der Pionier geht. (The Pioneer Departs) St. Galler Tagblatt, August 29, 2007
- Von der Mansarde zum Forschungszentrum. (From the Attic to the Research Center) (PDF; 954 kB.) From: Tages-Anzeiger, August 23, 2007
- Vier Jahrzehnte ein «Haus für Zeitgeschichte». (Four Decades as a "House for Contemporary History"). From: Neue Zürcher Zeitung, August 31, 2007 (PDF; 521 kB)
- Der Herr der Zeitgeschichte. (The Master of Contemporary History) (PDF; 788 kB.) From: Tachles, August 24, 2007
- Elsbeth Kasser: Foundation, Collection, Exhibition, Catalog
References[edit]
- ↑ Vier Jahrzehnte ein «Haus für Zeitgeschichte», Neue Zürcher Zeitung, August 31, 2007, accessed August 2, 2016.
Coordinates: 47°22′30.79″N 8°32′45.46″E / 47.3752194°N 8.5459611°E
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