PTT Archive

The PTT Archive is the historical archive of Switzerland's former Postal, Telegraph and Telephone Services, commonly known by the acronym PTT. It preserves the institutional, technical, administrative and social history of the organization that operated postal, telegraph, telephone and related transport services in Switzerland before its corporate reorganization in 1997. Following that reorganization, PTT was divided into two successor companies: Swiss Post and Swisscom. The two companies retained a legal responsibility to preserve the historical corporate holdings and to make them accessible. They arranged for the holdings to be maintained at a shared site and managed by the Swiss Foundation for the History of the Post and Telecommunications. The archive's roots reach back to an instruction issued by the Directorate General of Posts in Bern on 30 April 1893. That instruction addressed the organization of an archive, the creation and administration of a central library, and the handling of registry material. Over time, the archive and library developed into PTT's central information office, known as Library, Information and Documentation, or BID. At its largest, the BID employed as many as 30 people. The modern PTT Archive, however, emerged after the liberalization and restructuring of the former PTT administration. On 31 December 1997, Swiss Post and Swisscom transferred their corporate archives and the PTT library to the Swiss Foundation for the History of the Post and Telecommunications. The original shared facility was located at Viktoriastrasse 21 in Bern. In 2013, the archive moved to premises at Sägestrasse 77 in Köniz, near Bern. Since 2018, it has used the shorter name PTT Archive. The holdings principally cover the period from 1848 to 1997, while also incorporating records from institutions that preceded the federal postal service. They document the organization and management of the Directorate General of Posts, district postal administrations, individual post offices, postal bus routes, transport systems, correspondence statistics, and the expansion of Switzerland's telephone and telegraph networks. The collection also records the introduction of NATEL mobile telephony, the development of internet and telefax services, PTT research and development, and the working lives of employees. Its material is multilingual, reflecting Switzerland's German-, French- and Italian-speaking regions. Among the archive's notable resources are several hundred linear metres of grey literature, including workplace instructions, administrative forms and telephone directories. It holds what is described as the only complete collection of Swiss telephone books, beginning with the first edition published in 1880. Its specialist library covers the history of postal and telecommunications services and includes publications concerning the Universal Postal Union and the International Telecommunication Union, both founded in Bern. An oral-history program adds video interviews with former employees and connects institutional records with personal experiences of work at PTT. The PTT Archive is not merely a storage facility. Its public mission includes preserving, cataloguing and providing access to the holdings through an online database and a study room. It offers depot tours, supports university teaching, organizes Wikipedia workshops on PTT history, and has participated in intergenerational workshops for Swiss Post apprentices. Its work is governed by Switzerland's Federal Law on Archiving. As the holdings are treated as federal archival property, they cannot be transferred or removed without the agreement of the Swiss Federal Archives. Standard protection periods are 30 years for administrative files and 50 years for personal files, although researchers may submit requests for access to protected material. The archive is listed as an object of national interest in Switzerland's Inventory of Cultural Assets.

The institutional history of the PTT Archive begins with the development of a formal records and library function inside Switzerland's postal administration. On 30 April 1893, the Directorate General of Posts in Bern issued an instruction concerning the arrangement of its archive, the establishment and administration of a central library, and the operation of the registry office. This is the earliest known documentary reference to the organized archival and library function that later evolved into the PTT information service. During the following decades, the archive and library expanded alongside the growth of Switzerland's postal, telegraph and telephone infrastructure. The collection accumulated records from the central administration, regional postal districts and individual offices, as well as technical documentation, statistics, regulations, forms and publications. The function eventually became PTT's Library, Information and Documentation office, abbreviated BID. It served as an internal information center and at one stage employed up to 30 staff members. Its holdings reflected the full range of PTT activities, from postal operations and post buses to telegraphy, fixed-line telephony, mobile communications and later digital technologies. The decisive institutional change came with the liberalization and reorganization of PTT at the end of the twentieth century. On 31 December 1997, the former PTT was divided into Swiss Post and Swisscom. Rather than dispersing the historical holdings between the successor organizations, the two companies transferred their corporate archives and the PTT library to the Swiss Foundation for the History of the Post and Telecommunications. The foundation became responsible for managing, developing and opening the material for research on behalf of the successor companies. The archive initially operated as the Historical Archive and Library PTT from Viktoriastrasse 21 in Bern. In 1998, the Swiss Federal Archives and the foundation reached an arrangement under which the foundation would manage the PTT corporate archive, arrange and describe its contents, and make them available to the public. The holdings remain subject to federal archival oversight. They cannot be transferred or removed without the explicit consent of the Swiss Federal Archives. This arrangement also reflects the archive's status as federal cultural property rather than an ordinary private company collection. The archive is subject to the Federal Law on Archiving, including protection periods of 30 years for fact or administrative files and 50 years for personal files, with possible requests for access to files within protected periods. The archive moved from its Bern premises to Sägestrasse 77 in Köniz in 2013. The new location provided a shared repository, study facilities and space for public engagement. In 2018, the institution adopted the name PTT Archive, making its historical focus more readily identifiable while retaining the legacy of its former title. The collection covers material dating principally from 1848 to 1997, with additional records from predecessor institutions. It includes records from across Switzerland and in German, French and Italian. Topics range from postal administration and individual post offices to postal transport, postbus routes, correspondence volumes, telephone and telegraph network construction, NATEL, internet services, telefax, research and development, and employee history. The archive also preserves a substantial body of grey literature and a specialist library focused on postal and telecommunications history. Particularly distinctive is its complete sequence of Swiss telephone directories, beginning with the first edition from 1880. Since becoming a public-facing historical institution, the PTT Archive has broadened its work beyond conventional document preservation. It maintains an online database, receives researchers in its study room, offers depot tours and contributes to university teaching. Its oral-history program records former employees, with the supplied reference material reporting up to 14 interviews per year from 2014 onward. These interviews connect the historical PTT organization with present-day Swiss Post and Swisscom. The archive has also organized Wikipedia workshops and intergenerational sessions in which Swiss Post apprentices examine historical documents and compare former and current working practices. It is recognized as an object of national interest in the Swiss Inventory of Cultural Assets.

• 2018

  Adoption of the PTT Archive name

  [1]PTT Archiveen.wikipedia.org

  The Historical Archive and Library PTT began using the shorter name PTT Archive.

• 2013

  Relocation to Köniz

  [1]PTT Archiveen.wikipedia.org

  The Historical Archive and Library PTT moved from Viktoriastrasse in Bern to its present premises at Sägestrasse 77 in Köniz.

• 1998

  Federal archival management arrangement

  [1]PTT Archiveen.wikipedia.org

  The Swiss Federal Archives and the foundation agreed that the foundation would manage, develop and provide public access to the PTT corporate archive under federal archival oversight.

• 1997

  PTT divided into Swiss Post and Swisscom

  [1]PTT Archiveen.wikipedia.org

  The former Swiss Postal, Telegraph and Telephone Services were reorganized into the two successor companies Swiss Post and Swisscom. Their corporate archives and the PTT library were transferred to the Swiss Foundation for the History of the Post and Telecommunications on 31 December.

• 1893

  First known formal archival instruction

  [1]PTT Archiveen.wikipedia.org

  The Directorate General of Posts in Bern issued an instruction covering the organization of an archive, the creation of a central library and registry administration.

A national heritage and research institution preserving the documentary history of Swiss postal and telecommunications services while providing public, academic and educational access to the legacy of PTT, Swiss Post and Swisscom.

• Corporate and administrative records

  PTT corporate archive

  The core collection preserves records of the former PTT's central administration, district postal services and individual post offices. It covers organizational structures, management, regulations, correspondence statistics and operational practice across Switzerland, principally from 1848 through the 1997 division of PTT.

• Technical and infrastructure records

  Telecommunications and technology holdings

  These holdings document the construction and evolution of Swiss telephone and telegraph networks, PTT research and development, NATEL mobile telephony, internet services and telefax. They provide historical evidence of the technical systems and organizational decisions behind Swiss communications infrastructure.

• Published reference collection · 1880

  Swiss telephone-book collection

  The archive holds a complete collection of Swiss telephone books, beginning with the first edition published in 1880. The series is a distinctive reference source for studying communications, geography, businesses, institutions and social change in Switzerland.

• Research library

  PTT specialist library

  The former PTT academic and specialist library forms part of the archive's holdings. It focuses on postal and telecommunications history and includes publications relating to the Universal Postal Union and the International Telecommunication Union, both of which were founded in Bern.

• Oral-history and audiovisual collection

  Oral history project

  The oral-history program records video interviews with former PTT employees. The interviews preserve personal experience and institutional memory and help researchers relate the former PTT organization to the contemporary histories of Swiss Post and Swisscom.

• Research and educational service

  Public archive access

  Researchers can consult catalogued material through the archive's online database and study room, subject to applicable protection periods. The archive also provides depot tours and supports university courses, workshops and educational activities.

• 2013

  Move the archive to KönizOther

  Background

  The Historical Archive and Library PTT required a suitable shared repository and public research facility for its expanding holdings and services.

  Action taken

  The archive relocated from Viktoriastrasse 21 in Bern to Sägestrasse 77 in Köniz.

  Aftermath

  Köniz became the archive's continuing headquarters and public research location.

  Source

• 1997

  Centralize the historical holdings after the PTT splitStrategy

  Background

  The division of PTT into Swiss Post and Swisscom created two successor organizations with a shared historical inheritance. Dispersing the records could have weakened their research value and continuity.

  Action taken

  The successor companies transferred their corporate archives and the PTT library to the Swiss Foundation for the History of the Post and Telecommunications for shared management at one location.

  Aftermath

  The arrangement established the institutional basis of the modern PTT Archive and enabled continued public access under federal archival oversight.

  Source

1. 1PTT Archiveen.wikipedia.org
2. 2PTT Archive official information pagemfk.ch