Holdings and Finding Aids

The GDR Academy of Architecture's Institute for Urban Planning and Architecture (ISA) engaged in the central tasks of basic research and evaluation, and was a significant actor in East German architecture. In 1992, the present day IRS was founded as a successor institution to the ISA and given a new agenda. Working papers and research documents from the former ISA comprise the vast majority of archive material held by the Scientific Collections. more infos

The Association of German Architects (BdA), established in 1952 and dissolved in late 1990, was the professional association of GDR architects, landscape architects, urban planners and so forth. BdA members were organised according to districts, counties and by vocation. BdA documents held by the Scientific Collections predominantly date from the 1970s and 1980s. An additional and significantly larger collection of BdA documents is held by the German Federal Archives in Berlin (and is the property of the Foundation Archives of Parties and Mass Organisations of the GDR in the Federal Archives). more infos

The Scientific Collections have been able to acquire approximately 90 collections from GDR architects and planners active in various fields. These personal papers give valuable insights into various aspects of GDR architecture, urban planning, landscape and traffic planning. They predominantly comprise working documents and only few personal documents. These personal collections are structured by works, correspondences, life documents and collections, in accordance to the Guidelines for the Description of Personal Paper and Manuscript Collections (RNA). more infos

The Scientific Collections hold a substantial number of photographs and slides on various aspects of GDR architecture. The vast majority of these consists of photographic templates for the renowned GDR Architectural Guide (Architekturführer DDR), and of photographic collections from the Institute for Urban Planning and Architecture's (ISA) projects, for instance on new housing districts. Numerous photographs and slides that were bequeathed by architects complement the collection. more infos

This holding comprises e.g. documents from the former DFG project on 'Settlements in Brandenburg', books, journals, architectural models and audiovisual media. more infos