University of Copenhagen; Niels Bohr Archive

Overview

The Niels Bohr Archive (NBA) is an independent institution overseen by the University of Copenhagen with its own board of directors. Located at the Niels Bohr Building at Jagtvej 155A in Copenhagen, the Archive holds extensive materials documenting the life and work of Niels Bohr, the Niels Bohr Institute, and the broader tradition of modern physics that Bohr created and inspired.

History and Founding

The Archive originated from efforts in the 1960s to document the history of quantum physics. A major oral history project known as the Archive for the History of Quantum Physics, in which the American Institute of Physics collaborated with European institutions, led to the systematic collection and preservation of Bohr's papers and correspondence. The Niels Bohr Archive was formally established in 1985, when the collection at Blegdamsvej (the Niels Bohr Institute's original address in Copenhagen) was officially constituted as an archive. The collection centres on Bohr's nearly complete set of papers, drafts of publications, and extensive correspondence. Funding from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation was among the early sources of support for its development.

Collections and Holdings

The Archive's holdings include Bohr's personal and professional correspondence, manuscript drafts, unpublished texts, and scientific papers. The General Book Collection contains history of science books, journals, and original physics texts. Photographs, films, and other visual materials relating to Bohr and the Niels Bohr Institute are also preserved. The archive's books are catalogued in the ALMA library database hosted by the Royal Danish Library.

Research and Outreach

The NBA produces its own research and publications on the history of modern physics and its philosophical and social implications. It makes its collections available to visiting researchers worldwide and has developed outreach activities including public lectures and international conferences. It hosted the Fifth Biennial Early-Career Conference for Historians of the Physical Sciences in 2023, organised in partnership with the American Institute of Physics Center for History of Physics.

Access

Researchers may visit the archive by appointment. Books in the General Book Collection may be consulted on-site but are not available for loan. The archive may be contacted at nba@nbi.dk.