Address:
Apparatus Diplomaticus - Centre of Cultural Studies, University of Göttingen
Heinrich-Düker-Weg 14
37073 Göttingen
Opening hours/access:
by appointment
Contact:
Prof. Dr. Hedwig Röckelein
Tel.: +49 (0551) 39-24669
E-Mail: Prof. Dr. Hedwig Röckelein
Homepage
The Apparatus Diplomaticus, a collection compiled for teaching and study purposes and unparalleled worldwide, consists of more than 1,600 written documents dating from Late Antiquity, the Middle Ages and the Early Modern periods. The majority of them are in Latin, but numerous other languages are also represented, including Middle High German, Middle Low German, Ancient Greek, Hebrew, Arabic, Persian, Turkish, Coptic, Tamil, Sinhalese and Ancient Javanese.
As early as 1759, a didactically structured Diplomatisches Cabinett was established to facilitate teaching in the subject of ‘Diplomatic Studies’, the documentation and research of offi cial texts. In addition to charters and certifi cates, the collection also contained manuscripts, seals and copperplate reproductions, and it was on this basis that the collection in its present form came into being in 1802. Today, the majority of the collection’s items are papal, imperial and royal charters, as well as private charters of clerics, dynasties, municipalities and citizens. In the 19th and 20th centuries, the collection was enlarged by scholars seeking to combine research and teaching on the basis of illustrative materials. Numerous additions enriched the collection, including further charters, manuscripts, manuscript fragments and seals, as well as seal casts and photographs. A specialised academic library consisting of approximately 5,800 volumes complements the collection of original items.
Among the directors of the institution were Johann Christoph Gatterer (1759 – 1799), initiator of the academic subject ‘Historische Hilfswissenschaften’ (auxiliary historical studies) in Göttingen and Germany, Jacob Grimm (1835 – 1917), Paul Fridolin Kehr (1895 – 1903), Karl Brandi (1902 – 1946), Alfred Hessel (1924 – 1935) and Hans Goetting (1964 – 1976). Since April 2007 the Apparatus has been directed by medievalist Hedwig Röckelein of the Department of Medieval and Modern History.
Hedwig Röckelein &
Jörg Bölling
