To maintain the order of the documents, the records are organised into collections (Bestände). These collections are showing the tasks and responsibilities of the administration in the past and in the present according to the authorities, public offices and courts where they were created.
Holdings with nearly 1,000,000 archival units can be searched in the online database: https://recherche.staatsarchiv.hamburg.de. An introduction to researching and accessing archival records at the Hamburg State Archive is given here: https://www.hamburg.de/bkm/benutzung/5017640/englisch-benutzung/ as well as a short video-tutorial for archival research: http://www.hamburg.de/bkm/benutzung/nofl/16443254/tutorial-erstnutzer-english/. An online catalogue of the library is additionally available: https://kataloge.uni-hamburg.de/DB=7/LNG=DU/.
You can use our finding aids and the archival units as well as the computers in the reading room for free. Everybody has the right to read records and other units kept by the State Archive for official, scientific, local history or journalistic purposes and legal interests. There are about 30 workplaces for the use of archival materials, digitized archival units, microfilms and large scale maps. A large part of the holdings can be searched online via a database. The amount of archival material catalogued is constantly growing due to new cataloguing and retro-conversion.
The Hamburg State Archives (Staatsarchiv Hamburg) was founded 300 years ago. Its historic collection goes back to the Middle Ages. The archive contains more than 40,000 meters of documents of the Hamburg public administration, legislative branch and courts as well as major private institutions and individuals in the city.
Your archive items will be made available in the reading room from 10.00 am (if ordered by 6.00 pm the previous day), from 1.30 pm (if ordered by 11.15 am on the same day) and from 3.30 pm (if ordered by 2.15 pm on the same day).
Hamburg State Archives has archival materials on the history of the city and state (Bundesland) of Hamburg. Its collections include administrative documents, court records, military records, collections of private institutions and religious community records through the centuries. It contains as well Holocaust restitution- and compensation-related materials: Best. 213-12 Staatsanwaltschaft Landgericht - Nationalsozialistische Gewaltverbrechen (https://recherche.staatsarchiv.hamburg.de/ScopeQuery5.2/detail.aspx?id=833), Best. 213-13 Landgericht Hamburg–Wiedergutmachung (https://recherche.staatsarchiv.hamburg.de/ScopeQuery5.2/detail.aspx?id=891315), Best. 314-15 Oberfinanzpräsident (Devisenstelle und Vermögensverwertungsstelle) (https://recherche.staatsarchiv.hamburg.de/ScopeQuery5.2/detail.aspx?id=1146), Best. 351-11 Amt für Wiedergutmachung (https://recherche.staatsarchiv.hamburg.de/ScopeQuery5.2/detail.aspx?id=1466), Best. 522-1 Jüdische Gemeinde (https://recherche.staatsarchiv.hamburg.de/ScopeQuery5.2/detail.aspx?id=3716). Much more can be found in the online database: https://recherche.staatsarchiv.hamburg.de. The access to some of the records might be restricted due to the retention periods (Schutzfristen) of the Hamburg Archivs Law (Hamburgisches Archivgesetz).
The State Archives have been at their current location since 1997. The building, designed by architect Jan Störmer, is divided into two building complexes. Next to a modern administration building with reading rooms and a public area is a blue, windowless storage block. A skilful passive air conditioning system, which dispenses with costly and environmentally harmful technical aids, ensures that the archive material is kept in optimum conditions for its long-term storage.
Staatsarchiv der Freien und Hansestadt Hamburg
In the reading room, you can order photocopies or scans of archival records. If you already know the reference code of an archival unit, you can also place an order for reproductions of the archival material by post or e-mail. To do this, please complete the Elbe-Werkstätten GmbH reproduction order in addition to the order form and send them to the State Archive together. You can request certified copies of registers of births, deaths and marriages, if you know the register number, registry office (Standesamt) and reference code (Bestellsignatur). Detailed information on ordering copies and use of the registry office documents can be found in German on our website: Use of registry entries in the State Archive.
Reading Room: - Monday to Thursday: 10:00am to 06:00pm - Friday: 10:00am to 04:00pm. The advisory service (Beratungsdienst): - Monday to Wednesday: 10:00am to 12:00 noon & 02:00pm to 05:00pm - Thursday and Friday: 10:00am to 12:00 noon & 02:00pm to 04:00pm.
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