Buchenwald Memorial Mittelbau-Dora Memorial Museum Zwangsarbeit im NS

Digitization of the Core Holdings in the Archive, Library, and Museological Collections

In September 2021, a project was initiated to digitize core portions of the archive, library, and museological collections. Through this project, we aim to make sources on the history of the concentration camp and the site's subsequent use accessible and easier to use.

A long row of shelves in the deep magazine

The first step entails digitizing a collection in the archives of 1,200 personal accounts by survivors of the Buchenwald Concentration Camp. Over the next three years, this process will continue with additional historical documents, media, and objects from the holdings of both memorial sites.

Simultaneously, the project is working towards further developing the database system of the foundation, the implementation of archival standards, and the expansion of research possibilities. The aim is to link digitized source material with other forms of information and make them accessible for research through external portals.

Additionally, the project aims to find new ways for presenting the holdings of the memorial sites online. We intend to develop new ideas for communicating and using historical sources on the concentration camp for educational work, individual visitors, researchers, and other interested parties. 

We are working on this digitization project together with the Brandenburg Memorials Foundation. The HPI School of Design Thinking of the Hasso Plattner Institute at the University of Potsdam is an additional partner for the portion of the project dedicated to online presentations. The project as a whole is funded by the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media and the States of Thuringia and Brandenburg; it is also supported by a donation from Fondation Tour du Monde.


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