Archiv Grünes Gedächtnis

The Archiv Grünes Gedächtnis (Green Memory Archive) is an archival institution within the Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung, the political foundation affiliated with the German Green Party. Its mission is to collect, catalogue, preserve, and make accessible the historical records of Bündnis 90/Die Grünen and the broader New Social Movements. The archive is located at Eldenaer Str. 35 in Berlin-Prenzlauer Berg, on the grounds of the former slaughterhouse, where it has been based since 2002. It was originally housed near Bonn. The archive is organized into three main areas. The first is the party archive of Bündnis 90/Die Grünen, which holds approximately 5,000 linear meters of records, including files from party boards, offices, and parliamentary groups, as well as personal papers of key actors and materials from the New Social Movements. The second is a reference library containing around 23,500 titles, focusing on publications by and about the Green Party and green topics; it is a non-lending library searchable via an online catalogue. The third area comprises documentary collections such as posters, photographs, audio and film recordings, websites, press releases, and articles, accessible through a database. Notable holdings include the papers of Rudolf Bahro, the pre-mortem bequest of Hilde Schramm and Milan Horáček, and the records of predecessor organizations of the Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung such as Stiftungsverband Regenbogen, the old Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung, FrauenAnstiftung, and Buntstift. The archive also manages the Petra Kelly estate, which comprises over 150 linear meters of material and was formally transferred to the Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung in 2018. Since 2007, the archive has published an annual yearbook titled "Grünes Gedächtnis," featuring scholarly work and highlights from its collections. The archive engages in public outreach through projects, events, and publications, including a virtual exhibition for Petra Kelly's 75th birthday and an oral history workshop in cooperation with the International Ecology Archives Network (IEAN).

The Archiv Grünes Gedächtnis is an archival institution of the Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung, the political foundation associated with the German Green Party. Its origins are tied to the need to preserve the documentary heritage of Bündnis 90/Die Grünen and the New Social Movements that emerged from the 1960s onward. The archive was initially located near Bonn, the former capital of West Germany, where many political institutions were based. In 2002, it moved to its current premises on the old slaughterhouse grounds at Eldenaer Straße in Berlin-Prenzlauer Berg, reflecting the broader relocation of German political institutions to Berlin after reunification. The archive's holdings grew to encompass three main areas: the party archive, a reference library, and documentary collections. The party archive now holds approximately 5,000 linear meters of records, including files from party boards, offices, and parliamentary groups, as well as personal papers of individuals involved in the Green movement. The library contains around 23,500 titles, focusing on publications by and about the Green Party and related topics. The documentary collections include posters, photographs, audio and film recordings, websites, press releases, and articles, all accessible via a database. Significant acquisitions include the papers of Rudolf Bahro, a prominent East German dissident and co-founder of the Green Party, and the pre-mortem bequests of Hilde Schramm and Milan Horáček. The archive also holds the records of predecessor organizations of the Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung, such as Stiftungsverband Regenbogen, the old Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung, FrauenAnstiftung, and Buntstift. A major holding is the Petra Kelly estate, which comprises over 150 linear meters of material. Petra Kelly was a founding member of the Green Party and a globally recognized activist for peace, disarmament, and human rights. The processing and cataloguing of her papers was undertaken by the Archiv Grünes Gedächtnis, and in 2018, the estate was formally transferred from the Petra-Kelly-Archiv e.V. to the ownership of the Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung. Since 2007, the archive has published an annual yearbook titled "Grünes Gedächtnis," which presents scholarly work produced using the archive's holdings and highlights specific collections. The yearbooks are available in print and as PDF downloads. The archive also engages in public outreach through projects, events, and publications. For example, in 2018 it co-organized an interdisciplinary oral history workshop with the International Ecology Archives Network (IEAN), bringing together archives and contemporary historians from several European countries. In recent years, it contributed to a virtual exhibition commemorating the 75th birthday of Petra Kelly, providing numerous texts and audiovisual sources from her estate. The archive's reading room is open to the public on limited days, and access is by prior registration.

• 2018

  Petra Kelly estate formally transferred to Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung

• 2018

  Oral history workshop co-organized with IEAN

• 2007

  First yearbook 'Grünes Gedächtnis' published

• 2002

  Moved to Eldenaer Straße in Berlin-Prenzlauer Berg

• Archive originally located near Bonn

A specialized political archive and research resource within the Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung, serving historians, researchers, and the public interested in green history.

• Yearbook 'Grünes Gedächtnis'

  Annual publication featuring scholarly work and collection highlights, available in print and PDF.

• Virtual exhibition for Petra Kelly's 75th birthday

  Online exhibition with texts and audiovisual sources from Petra Kelly's estate.

• Oral History Reader

  Publication from the 2018 workshop, edited by Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung, in English.

1. 1Archiv Grünes Gedächtnis | Heinrich-Böll-Stiftungboell.de
2. 2Erfahrungen mit Oral History | Heinrich-Böll-Stiftungboell.de
3. 3Über uns | Heinrich-Böll-Stiftungboell.de
4. 4Petra-Kelly-Archiv | Heinrich-Böll-Stiftungboell.de
5. 5Archiv Grünes Gedächtnis - Wikipediade.wikipedia.org
6. 6Archiv Grünes Gedächtnis - Wikidatawikidata.org