Topping-out ceremony celebrated for the new city and district archive in Bad Hersfeld

Topping-out ceremony celebrated for the new city and district archive in Bad Hersfeld

The topping-out ceremony for the new city and district archive, which is located on Antoniengasse, was recently celebrated in Bad Hersfeld. Construction work is progressing according to plan and completion and handover of the building are scheduled for September 2026. Mayor Anke Hofmann describes the project as an important piece of urban development that benefits both the city and the district. The plan is for the city and district to share the archive space. In total, the archive will cover an area of ​​approximately 1,300 square meters, with 735 square meters shared by both institutions. The city archive's share is 52.7% and the district's share is 47.3% of the archive and office space, as HNA reports.

For such a project, not only the construction method is important, but also the financing. The total costs for the new archive amount to around 10.1 million euros. It is interesting that two thirds of these costs are covered by funding from Berlin and Wiesbaden. This support for urban development projects is part of the urban development funding, which ensures sustainable urban development nationwide. For example, 790 million euros are available for this in the 2024 federal budget, as the Federal Government reports.

The next steps and challenges

The shell of the archive is in the final stages, and the installation of windows and doors is scheduled for the end of September. The facade design will be done with standardized, naturally fired demolition bricks, which will give the building a modern but also historical touch.

As far as the use of the archive is concerned, it will not be heavily used. Many of the historical documents are processed digitally and are therefore largely not available for general inspection. This could be a challenge, particularly for communities without their own storage in the district, but which will continue to accept the district's archiving services.

A look back and forward

The groundbreaking ceremony for the new city and district archive took place on November 26, 2024, followed by the laying of the foundation stone on March 6, 2025. Recently, on May 10, 2025, citizens had the opportunity to experience a tour of the construction site and find out about the progress of the new building. Architects from the renowned Berlin office TPMT were available to answer questions and presented an informative summary of the project. Such citizen participation promotes understanding and acceptance of urban development measures.

Overall, the project not only shows how Bad Hersfeld is improving its infrastructure, but also that the city and the district have a good hand in planning and financing future developments. The next big challenge will be the design of the space in front of the new archive building, which will be tackled after the archive building is completed.