Verden City Archives: Moving to new rooms for more accessibility!

Verden City Archives: Moving to new rooms for more accessibility!

Verden is preparing for an exciting move: the city archives will soon be moving to the new syndicate courtyard. Wencke Hinz, the head of the archive, and her colleague Katie Hanisch already have their hands full making the move as smooth as possible. The aim is to make the city archive even more public and inviting, which will certainly have a positive effect on the use of the extensive holdings. Loud Weser courier The condition assessment of the stocks, which was completed in the summer of 2024, is an important step. The archive material was inspected by a state-certified restorer to determine possible damage such as mold or vermin infestation.

The good news outweighs the bad news: According to the restorer, no major mold infestation was found. This gives hope that the extensive collection can be moved to the new premises undamaged. Before the move, the entire inventory is carefully restored, sorted and packed.

Bringing together valuable inventory

In recent years, the city archive has expanded its holdings through interesting donations. These include partial estates from the renowned Witte toy store and the Heine bookstore, as well as a partial collection from the regional historian Joachim Woock, which deals with witch research. These exciting collections will be edited and made accessible to users in the near future.

The archive is a municipal archive that is accessible to all citizens. The most common users are students, teachers, family researchers and local researchers. In the last twelve months, the city archives recorded around 200 inquiries, including internal inquiries from the administration. On-site use is also offered, but currently only by appointment. Anyone who would like to drop by spontaneously is asked to do so Application for use to be filled out in advance.

Innovative projects and digital offers

A highlight of the city archives are the digital information exhibitions that were developed to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of the Second World War and which can be found on the city archives website. Original sources were used there to present the story clearly. In addition, the city archive is actively involved in the “Verden Time Capsule 2025 – 2100” project, where it acts as a partner for the storage of the time capsule documents.

The city archives website was revised in the first quarter of 2025. Interested parties can now even submit civil status inquiries using an online form, which should make it easier for many. The book flea market and the fundraising campaigns for the Verdener Tafel are also very popular, as the sorted books are available for a donation.

Protection of cultural assets

Another important topic for the city archives is the emergency protection of Verden's cultural assets. This emergency network, consisting of the city archives, the German Horse Museum, the Domherrenhaus Historical Museum and other institutions, ensures that valuable holdings are protected in the event of a disaster. “We have been active here since August 2024 and have already laid the first foundation stone,” says Hinz.

The city archive, which has been archiving official records since the 19th century and preserving city history dating back to the Middle Ages, plays an important role in the cultural identity of the region through its extensive map collection and photo archive. Lower Saxony, like Lower Saxony emphasizes, has a rich archive landscape that guarantees legal security and historical conclusions. In doing so, it makes a valuable contribution to preserving our culture and history.