The city archive of Speyer @ Web 2.0

Hello, my name is Elisabeth Steiger and I ´m here to represent the city archive of Speyer.

The city of Speyer is one of the most important historical cities in Germany. It´s placed in the

federal state of Rheinland-Pfalz in the south-west of Germany near the French border. Its

most striking feature is the Speyer-cathedral, the biggest preserved Romanesque church of

the world. As a roman foundation, Speyer is one of the oldest cities of Germany and from

the year 600 it was the center of the Speyergau. In the middle-age, Speyer was a free city

and one of the most important cities of the holy roman empire of the German nation.

It´s not surprising, that in cause of these basics the archive of Speyer is the oldest local

archive in the Pfalz-region. The oldest document, which we keep in our archive, is a

document of the emperor Friedrich 1st Barbarossa from the year 1182. The archive of Speyer

is one of the oldest departments in the city. It suffered some casualties in the early modern

period. Nevertheless it is one of the most important local archives because of its big

historical meaning.

The archive of Speyer has not only a big historical importance. In 2011 we started an

intensive Web 2.0-presentation of our archive. With this kind of exposure we are one of the

few archives in Germany, which are concerned with social media. To provide wide interests

in the World Wide Web, we use platforms like Slideshare, Twitter, Flickr and Facebook.

By a continuous usage and actualization of these platforms, we reach various audiences. So

we have an considerable enlargement of our group of interest. This can be proved also by

statistics. On the one hand we create a big public relation, on the other hand we give the

possibility to follow professional purposes by joining discussions of specific topics via blogs

or forums. The traffic is outstanding!

Within the DFG-Project (Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft), so called “Virtuelles Deutsches

Urkundennetzwerk”, which means “Virtual German document network”, all of our

documents have been digitalized. Since one week you can see them on the Monasterium-

Homepage. So you have the possibility to check our documents on the Internet. Consequent

benefits are the mercy of the documents and the possibility for users, who can´t visit our

archive, to work with our documents. The initiator of the project, the director of the Speyer-

archive Dr. Joachim Kemper, started it in view of a digitization of all German charters.

Because of all these engagements we try to cater for more transparency and to create our

archive more open. So we can touch a bigger category of interest and we can establish

ourselves openly.

In this coherence, cooperation with other archives our museums for example plays a big

role. Thereby, cogitations and plans can be implemented more rapid. So these kinds of

“Networking”-conferences and a regular substitute of information are basic. Along these

lines the convention so called “Offene Archive” which means “Open Archives” will take place

in November 2012. It will have a reference to the issue “Web 2.0”, it will be practically

orientated and it will refer to the German language area.

All these innovations in our archive, but also the future plans and intentions turn on one

common base, which makes sure, that they can be effectuated: One Network that connects.

At this point ICARUS plays an important role for the archive of Speyer. Due to the fellowship

on ICARUS and also as a associated member for example by the ENARC-Project we consider

ourselves in a network, which makes it possible to realize our future plans in Web 2.0-issues.

Induced by putting our documents online, by social media and especially by networking with

other archives we create together a number of exposable and open archives, where people

work transparent. Therein we see the future and the continuance of all archives.

Concerning to these issues, in Germany is a big need on commitment necessary. So we see

us as a “frontrunner” in Web 2.0-matters and it pays: The response was great from the

beginning and increases more and more.