Berlin State Archives Landesarchiv Berlin

History and Founding

The origins of the Landesarchiv Berlin (Berlin State Archives) in its modern form are traced to 1808. Following World War II, the city archive was divided along with Berlin's municipal administration in 1948. A new city archive was established in West Berlin, which became a state archive under the Berlin Constitution of 1950 and was housed on Kalckreuthstraße in Schöneberg from 1976. The East Berlin archive (Stadtarchiv) operated separately until German reunification. In 1991, the Landesarchiv merged with the Stadtarchiv Berlin, the Büro für Stadtgeschichtliche Dokumentation, and the administrative archive of the East Berlin Magistrat to form a unified institution for all of Berlin. In 2000, the archive was enriched by the integration of the Archivabteilung der Landesbildstelle and the Archiv der Internationalen Bauausstellung (IBA).

Collections and Holdings

The Landesarchiv Berlin serves as the central state archive of the German capital. Its holdings are organized into six main groups covering records from the Middle Ages to the present: pre-1945 records (A/A Pr. Br.) including Berlin Magistrat records and Prussian authority files; West Berlin records 1945–1990 (B); East Berlin records 1945–1990 (C); federal state authority records from 1990 (D); estates and private collections (E); and audiovisual materials including maps, plans, posters, photographs, documentary films, and sound recordings (F). The oldest document in the collection dates to 1298. Holdings include magistrate, senate, and judicial records; GDR mass organization files; the Helene Lange Archive (German women's movement); records of companies such as Borsig and Osram; and the complete chronicle of the city of Berlin.

Access and Usage

The Landesarchiv Berlin is open to the public. Holdings up to 1945 not subject to a protection period are searchable via Findbuch.net and the Archivportal-D. A reference library serves both staff and external users. The archive is governed by the Berlin Archives Act of 2016 (amended 2020).