The Dessau Archive Network - a successful partnership

Archives are the memory of our history and culture and have central and indispensable functions for our diverse and ever-changing society in several respects. They safeguard law and make information accessible to all, they create important prerequisites for a digital transformation of administration, they offer diverse opportunities for reflecting on history, culture and knowledge, they serve scientific research and are dialogue and cooperation partners and, last but not least, they enable citizens to critically engage with the past. In this way, they make a decisive contribution to promoting and strengthening our democracy.

These important tasks are carried out in our city and region by the Saxony-Anhalt State Archives, Dessau Department, and the Dessau-Roßlau City Archives, among others. The Dessau Department of the State Archives emerged from the Herzoglich Anhaltisches Haus- und Staatsarchiv, which was founded in 1872. The 150th anniversary of its foundation will be celebrated on 30 August 2023 at 11.00 a.m. with a ceremony in the “Old Water Tower”, which will be attended by Dr. Tamara Zieschang, Minister of the Interior and Sport of Saxony-Anhalt, and Dr. Robert Reck, Lord Mayor of the City of Dessau-Roßlau. The Dessau-Roßlau municipal archive was established in 1939. Since 2017, the two archives at the “Alter Wasserturm” site have formed an archive network.

This archive network is a success story and an extremely lively place. This is proven by the high number of users, the numerous events and exhibitions jointly offered by the two linked archives, and the many impulses emanating from the archive network. The network is of great importance for the city and the region. The people living here benefit from the holdings gathered here, from the joint offers, the mediation, the advice and the competences brought together here. This proven, universally accepted and fertile work in the network should be continued for a long time to come.