Holdings of the city archive
Archive stock
The archive holdings include the official records of the city council and its individual institutions, as well as documents that have been handed over to the city archive by other institutions. The written record of the administration of a large city like Chemnitz has survived the turmoil of time almost unscathed. It goes back to the beginnings of the city's administrative activities and contains not only files but also numerous documents and city registers.
The records date back to the 16th/17th century, the oldest document is dated 1296 and the oldest town book dates back to 1426. Other important and extensive holdings include documents from the 30 neighbouring towns that were incorporated between 1844 and 1999. For the most part, the records of the municipal councils begin with the introduction of the Landgemeindeordnung (rural municipality regulations) of 1838 and end with the process of incorporation into the Chemnitz municipal association. The written records of numerous Chemnitz craft guilds, such as privileges and articles, craft and account books, which were kept in the guild shops for centuries, should also be emphasised.
Topics of the portfolio
- City Council
City councillors and committees (minutes), extra-parliamentary bodies
Incorporated places
Chemnitz district court
Companies and co-operatives, municipal investment companies
Educational and cultural institutions
Health and social institutions
Guild archives
Foundations
Religious communities
Clubs, associations and organisations
Collections
Newspaper collection
Bequests and personal funds
Plan archive
Picture archive
Library
User and working library
The library of the city archive contains approx. 34,000 volumes focussing on the following topics:
- City history of Chemnitz
- History of administration and authorities
- Constitutional and legal history
- German and especially Saxon history
- Industrial and economic history
- Completed and current collections of laws
- Collection of documentary works (documentary works created through the use of the city archive's holdings or manuscripts acquired through purchases on topics related to the city's history)
The library of the City Archives is a reference library. The making of copies from the archive and library holdings is subject to authorisation and depends above all on the state of preservation of the original.
Collections and estates
It is possible to hand over collections and bequests to the city archive for storage. Collections are used to supplement and explain the official records and have been systematically compiled either by the City Archive itself or by third parties.
These are
- Regional daily newspapers (from 1800 to the present day), most of which have already been filmed - a popular service is the production of birthday and anniversary newspapers (depending on the status of filming)
- Bequests or partial bequests and personal funds, including 12 bequests of Chemnitz writers
- Maps and plans (17th-20th century)
- Printed matter of the associations (around 1830 to 1945), including mainly statutes, annual reports, commemorative publications, membership directories, lecture and event programmes and table songs
- Leaflets (19th-20th century), mainly from political parties, offices, authorities, trade union organisations, clubs and professional associations
- Collection on the history of sport (from around 1880 to the present), including the history of football, cycling, figure skating, speed skating and ice hockey in Chemnitz
- Collection on theatre and music history (18th century to the present day), including the Paul Thomas theatre archive, theatre posters, programmes, playbills and stage designs
- Posters (19th century to the present), with an extensive collection after 1945
- Collection of old and emergency money (18th-20th century), contains mainly emergency money issues from the city of Chemnitz and banknotes from other cities from the period of inflation.
Plan archive
This collection, which extends from the 17th century to the present day and is mainly based on deliveries from the municipal building authorities, contains around 1,600 city maps of Chemnitz, plans of the former suburbs and neighbouring communities as well as cadastral and special maps. In addition, there are approx. 8,000 building drawings and development plans from the period 1876 - 1960.
Particularly interesting items are the ground plan of the Chemnitz Weichbild (soft landscape) prepared by J. P. Trenckmann in 1761, a ground plan of the Chemnitz water pipeline from 1834 and the construction drawings of the important Chemnitz town planning officer Richard Möbius. The plans can be used for the preservation of historical monuments and urban planning, but also to clarify property and ownership issues.
Archive of audiovisual media
Individual photos, photo plates, slides, albums, films and videos are kept here. Particularly valuable is a collection of around 2,200 postcards, which show an impressive picture of Chemnitz city centre before its destruction as well as the city's surroundings in colour or black and white. Interesting motifs and personalities of the city are captured in 98 photo albums.
The photo archive is available for research purposes, for publications and also for private matters. The photos are not on loan, but orders for reproductions are accepted. Authorisation from the city archive is required for any planned publication.