History of the City Archive

In Niederlahnstein, the files of the archive were formerly co-maintained by the main office. Ordered in 1894 by (Dr.) Fritz Michel, they were still kept in cupboards. In the 2nd World War they were moved to the Ehrenbreitstein Fortress. After their return in the 1950s, the files were put in order and recorded in a register (1958). There was no full-time supervision. In the mid-1960s the "archive" was deposited in the old school in Johannesstraße, supervised by Wilhelm Steil on a voluntary basis.

In Oberlahnstein a city archive was established in 1914 in the museum building of the Altertumsverein. The archives and museum holdings were also transferred to Ehrenbreitstein Fortress during the Second World War. After their return, the holdings were housed in rooms of the Museum Building and the New Town Hall before moving to the Old Town Hall in 1965, 1973 and 1975. For Oberlahnstein there are finding aids for the documents (1957), official books and files (1958) and a list of the museum library (1960), prepared by archivists of the Landeshauptarchiv Koblenz. At the beginning of the 1960s Hans Friedrich Karb was the honorary head of the city archive.

From 1971 Willi Eisenbarth took over the management of the Stadtarchiv, initially in addition to his work at the building yard, and from 1975 full-time. Under him the holdings from Niederlahnstein and Oberlahnstein were brought together in the Old Town Hall. Willi Eisenbarth built up a large collection of specialist literature, grey literature (e.g. club festschrifts, brochures, etc.), newspapers and newspaper cuttings as well as postcards and photos documenting life in Lahnstein and the surrounding area.

Since May 1, 2002, graduate archivist Bernd Geil has been in charge of the town archive and the museum of the town of Lahnstein in the Hexenturm.

After more than 50 years in the Old Town Hall, the City Archive moved into its new domicile in the basement of the former Kaiser Wilhelm School on Kaiserplatz on 9 October 2015. While the files are located in three rooms with mobile shelving systems, users have access to sufficient workstations, a microfilm reader and an extensive archive library.

Area of responsibility

The main task of the Municipal Archives is to evaluate, take over, preserve and index the registry assets of the city administration, which are mainly reflected in files, plans and maps.

In addition, the collection material forms the second important "mainstay" of the formation of records. These include written bequests of Lahnstein personalities as well as posters, photos and the so-called grey literature (Festschriften, carnival booklets, but also scientific manuscripts and student research papers with reference to Lahnstein).

In addition, the City Archive has the task of documenting contemporary events in Lahnstein and assisting in the processing of the city's history. For this purpose the archive maintains a service library.

The City Archive is available to all citizens as an information and documentation centre for questions concerning the city's history.

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