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Beethoven-Haus Association archives

The 125th anniversary of the Beethoven-Haus Association and the simultaneous reappraisal of the history of the Beethoven-Haus during the Nazi era marked the start of the reorganisation and cataloguing of the Beethoven-Haus’s business archives. The archives, which date back to 1889 – the year the Beethoven-Haus Association was founded – document the organization and work of the Beethoven-Haus. The archive material consists of subject files, series of correspondence and minutes, as well as guest registers and cash books. In addition, there is a partial estate of Hermann Josef Abs, Chairman of the Beethoven-Haus Association from 1960 to 1994, and a partial estate comprising around 200 letters to the Swiss autograph collector Samuel Geiser (1907–1993).

Depending on their catalogueing status and access restrictions, the archival materials are available in the library’s reading room and can be searched via the file catalogue.

In terms of content, the association’s archive documents, amongst other things:

  • the purchase of the birthplace, the founding of the association in 1889, and the establishment and opening of the museum between 1889 and 1893
  • correspondence with members and honorary members
  • the development of the collection through donations and acquisitions
  • the chamber music festivals from 1890 to 1956
  • acquisitions, restorations and alterations to the properties on Bonngasse
  • the founding in 1927 and the work of the Beethoven-Archiv research centre
  • the management of the Beethoven-Haus and the Beethoven-Archiv during the Nazi era
  • the museum and collection during and after the Second World War
  • Management by the Board of Trustees during the transitional period 1945–1948
  • Management, executive committee work and membership administration of the Association since 1949
  • The inception and work on the New Complete Edition of Beethoven’s Works and the Complete Edition of his Letters and Documents since 1948
  • Publications by the Beethoven-Haus since 1920
  • The development, ongoing expansion and use of the library
  • Concert events at the Beethoven-Haus since the construction of the Chamber Music Hall in 1989
  • The organisation of permanent and special exhibitions
  • The establishment of the Digital Beethoven-Haus 1999–2001
  • Anniversaries and commemorative events