Together the Archives and the Library of the Francke Foundations form the August Hermann Francke Study Centre. This centre extends spatially from the Historical Library building, House 22, to the adjacent premises, Houses 23-24.
Archive and Library
Profile
The Study Centre is a service facility for the preservation and cataloguing of and research into the holdings of the Archives and Library of the Francke Foundations. In recent years it has been able to initiate and carry out comprehensive and innovative cataloguing projects with the financial support of the German Research Foundation. They improve our understanding of the sources and provide a solid basis for new perspectives and research projects.
Collections in the Archive
The culture-historical archive of the Francke Foundations looks back on a 300-year history. Its holdings reflect the rise and fall of Halle Pietism as well as the rich history of the Francke Foundations. The predominant part of the archive dates from the heyday of Halle Pietism during the first half of the eighteenth century. In addition to the historical archive section extensive collections especially document the recent history of the Foundations. The archive also preserves estates as well as deposits presented by individuals and institutions. The archive collection currently includes 900 meters of files and manuscripts, 3,382 drawings and maps, 270 palm leaf manuscripts, 25,567 images, 11,634 newspaper clippings and 840 posters.
In addition to using the card catalogues and finding aids, to be consulted in the Study Centre’s Catalogue Room, a search in databases allows the user access to the Archive’s holdings. Their presentation on the Internet is one of the Archive’s priority tasks. These databases result from long-term projects to make the holdings accessible to the researchers and the broader public. The Archive mainly performs these tasks in externally funded projects.
Collections in the Library
The Francke Foundations’ Historic Library, founded by Francke for »those studying at the Orphanage« (»Die im Waysen-Haus Studirenden«) at the end of the seventeenth century, comprises an important collection of antiquarian holdings. The books deal with all fields of knowledge, but strongly focus on the religious and cultural history of the early modern period. The books are housed in the earliest surviving purposely-built secular library in Germany, constructed in 1726-28. The Historic Library hall with its original eighteenth-century furniture forms the building’s central part. Here the collections were shelved in book cases arranged as scenes in a theater, the so-called Kulissenbibliothek or Scenery Library.
The focus of library work concerns the efforts to make the collections accessible and to develop a digital library.
Collections
Main collection: approximately 57,000 volumes
Special collections: 74,000 volumes (of which 37,000 as a deposit)
Reference library: approximately 37,000 volumes
School programme collection: 29,000 volumes
Bötticher portrait collection: 12,958 sheets
Map collection: 1,762 maps
Research
Here you will find all the information you need about the research options available at the archives and library of the Francke Foundations.
Preservation of Collections and Book Sponsorships
A further aim of the Study Centre is the preservation of the centuries-old, valuable holdings of the Archive and the Library. This includes books and manuscripts as well as portraits. The holdings are partially extremely endangered due to wear and tear, ink corrosion or mould. An additional problem is the increasing interest in the historical sources, which –albeit welcomed in principle – require preventative conservational measures. We depend on support from sponsors and on donations. You can help in various ways.
Rescuing Books and Archival Documents
Individual donations or sponsorship of manuscripts and books
DetailsDonations account
Friends of the Francke Foundation
Freundeskreis der Franckeschen Stiftungen e.V.
Saalesparkasse Halle
Konto-Nr.: 1894014177
BLZ: 800 537 62,
IBAN: DE92 8005 3762 1894 0141 77
BIC: NOLADE21HAL
Thank you!
Rescuing Paintings
Individual donations to preserve the portrait collection of the Foundations
Details
Projects
Edition of letters of Hermann Heinrich Lemke, Christian Rabenhorst und Christoph Friedrich Triebner
Transcription and translation of 100 letters written by pastors of the Ebenezer emigrant congregation in Georgia between 1745 and 1800.
Details
Digitisation of historical plans, construction and property files
The project aimed to digitise historical plans, construction and property files from the archives of the Francke Foundations.
Details
The reconstruction of Johann Adam Steinmetz's library
Based on the handwritten catalogue from 1771, the holdings of the former library of Johann Adam Steinmetz (1689–1762), abbot at Berge Monastery, are being catalogued in the library of the Francke Foundations.
Details
TSURIKRUFN! 1700 years of Jewish life in Germany
The Francke Foundations are participating in the AsKI joint project.
DetailsCompleted Projects
For many years, the Francke Foundations have been carrying out numerous cataloguing, digitisation and restoration projects, often funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG) and supported by other partners. In this way, valuable archive and library holdings are systematically catalogued, digitised and preserved for the long term through restoration. The resulting finding aids, catalogues and digitised materials are either published in the series »Hallesche Quellenpublikationen und Repertorien« (Halle Source Publications and Repertories) or made available worldwide via this website.
An overview of projects over the last 30 years can be found here:
Completes ProjectsNews
Programme
There are currently no events or offers available
Contact
Info & Direction
Opening Hours
Reading Room
Monday – Friday
8am – 6pm
Telephone: +49 (0)345 2127 470
Historical Library
Tuesday – Sunday
10am – 5pm
