Digitalization and deep indexing of the collection “Alfred Krupp (1812-1887) and his wife Bertha, née. Eichhoff (1831-1888)” at the Krupp Historical Archive
Economic and Social History
Final Report Abstract
The overall objective of the DFG-funded project was the (re)indexing and digitisation of the archive collection FAH 2 from Krupp Historical Archives with the collection title "Alfred Krupp (1812-1887) und seine Frau Bertha, geb. Eichhoff (1831-1888)". This project was successfully realized in the reporting period. The planned online publication of the digital copies is scheduled for 2023. Krupp Historical Archives, founded in 1905, is the oldest German business archive and one of the most important institutions of its kind. It is located in the Villa Hügel in Essen and is owned by the non-profit Alfried Krupp von Bohlen und Halbach Foundation. Its holdings stem on the one hand from the history of the Krupp company, which was founded in 1811 and merged with Thyssen AG in 1999. On the other hand, the collections come from the Krupp family. The archives hold various documents such as files, account books and plans, numerous photographs, postcards, museum objects and much more. Lined up end to end, the holdings have a length of more than ten kilometres. The holdings at the centre of the funded project have a volume of approx. 25 linear metres and run from 1715 to 1954. FAH 2 represents one of the central core holdings on the economic and social history of the industrialization of Germany and Europe and therefore it is of international significance. The main part of the collection consists of handwritten documents, occasionally supplemented by typewritten copies. In addition, there are numerous photographs and other image sources. In terms of sources, the archival records represent the rise of the Krupp company from a small firm to a horizontally and vertically integrated global corporation. Through the indexing and digitisation carried out in the project, this unique collection, together with meaningful indexing information, will be made available to the public worldwide online for viewing and research, thus significantly increasing the visibility of the sources. In this way, users will be able to access this historically important collection for an extremely important period of German history without having to travel. Especially the numerous manuscripts contained in this collection require a great deal of time for research, which no longer has to be done directly on site in the archive.
