The public archives in Hesse preserve original documents from more than 1200 years of Hessian, German and European history, including numerous documents of contemporary history. They are open to the general public for scientific and private research.
In order to prepare an inquiry to the archive or a visit, it is recommended to find out about the responsibility and the collection profile of the respective archive. Many archives have now made their finding aids available online. If the one used
If the archive software offers corresponding functionalities, you can pre-order the archival materials for inspection in the reading room of the archive holding them and use holdings that have already been digitised online. The three departments of the Hessian State Archives, numerous municipal and university archives and some private archives use the archive information system Arcinsys, which includes various search options as well as an order and a watch list function.
As a rule, the archival material of the public archives must be consulted in the reading room of the archive being stored. In most archives, you can commission the in-house or an external photo workshop to take pictures, make photocopies yourself or take digital photos yourself, provided that there are no legal or conservation reasons to the contrary.
Enquiries to the archives can be sent by e-mail, post or telephone.
The Hessian State Archives consist of four departments: the Hessian State Archives in Darmstadt, the Hessian State Archives in Marburg (with the Land Registry Archive, Civil Status Archive), the Hessian Main State Archive in Wiesbaden and the Department of Central Institutions, which also includes the Digital Archive of Hesse and the Archive Consultancy in Hesse. Another branch is the Archive of the German Youth Movement, which is run in cooperation with the Jugendburg Ludwigstein.
The Hessian State Archives preserve the records of the predecessor territories in the territory of today's federal state of Hesse, including those of the Landgraviate or the Electorate of Hesse, the Principality of Waldeck, the Landgraviate of Hesse-Darmstadt, the People's State of Hesse and the Duchy of Nassau, as well as those of the secular and ecclesiastical dominions and imperial cities that were absorbed into these territories.
In addition, the Hessian State Archives are responsible for the modern records of the Hessian ministries, state authorities, courts and state institutions as well as the regional councils of Kassel, Giessen and Darmstadt and subordinate departments. A special tradition is formed by the documents on denazification proceedings and compensation, which are kept centrally in the Hessian Main State Archive in Wiesbaden, as well as the land register and civil status archives in Neustadt (Marburg).