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Research

Photo: Deutsches Museum

An Overview of Our Holdings

Archival Collections

The Deutsches Museum Archive is distinguished by the diversity of its outstanding collections relating to the history of science and technology. Below, we provide an overview of these unique holdings.

Online Research in Selected Archival Collections

A selection of archival collections with digital finding aids can be searched via the Deutsches Museum Digital portal. Several significant collections are available in their entirety in digital format. The range of searchable holdings is regularly expanded. These online finding aids are listed on our overview page and are also available for download as PDF files.

Online Finding Aids

Collection Overview

Personal Papers

380 outstanding collections of researchers in the natural sciences and engineering

Image Collection

1.4 million positives and negatives since the dawn of photography

Corporate Publications

Catalogues, user guides, and sample books from around 17,000 companies

18Collection Groups

6.5 Kilometre of shelving containing unique archival material

Aerospace Documentation

Documentation on aviation and spaceflight in the 20th century

Plans

Around 120,000 plans and technical drawings

Corporate Archives

More than 40 (partial) archives of major companies and organizations

Manuscripts

A selection of letters, documents, and handwritten books dating from the 13th century

Deutsches Museum Institutional Archive

Documents on the history of the Deutsches Museum and its artefacts

Allied Reports on German Science

Allied reports (CIOS, BIOS, FIAT), aviation research (ZWB), and American nuclear research reports

Small Collections

51 small collections that cannot be classified under any other holding category

Portrait Collection

Over 12,500 paintings, prints, and photographs

Audiovisual Media

Moving images and sound recordings

Maps

Around 8,000 sheets dating from the 16th to the 21st century

Posters

Technical, scientific, and industrial themes, as well as posters from the Deutsches Museum

Collection on the History of Paper

Original colored papers and documents

Medals

A major collection in the European context (around 4,000 items)

Exlibris, Seals, and Stamps

Searching the collections

Photo: Deutsches Museum | Hans und Botho von Römer, München

Still searching?

You can search the Archive’s collection overview using the search box at the top. Please note that this search only covers the descriptions of the archive’s holdings.

A detailed search of the contents of selected, fully processed archive collections is available via our online finding aids.

For specific enquiries, please feel free to contact the Deutsches Museum Archive directly at archiv@deutsches-museum.de.

Deutsches Museum Digital allows you to search across the archives, the library, and the artefact collection: