Kaperberg, 2-4 4700 EUPEN Liège Tel: +32 (0)87/55.43.77 Fax: +32 (0)87/55.87.77 Staatsarchiv.Eupen@arch.be

What's new

Bibliography about the history of the German-speaking Community of Belgium

The people of the German-speaking Community can look back on a rich and eventful history. Until the middle of the 20th century, the territory bordering the Netherlands, Germany and Luxembourg has been moved around a lot on the international geo-political chessboard. In the second half of this century, things calmed down a bit, but the efforts to obtain cultural recognition and independence did not cease.

It is therefore logical that many historians and authors have delved into the early and more recent history of the German-speaking Community and have highlighted different aspects thereof in papers and publications.

The present Online-Bibliography by Werner MIESSEN provides a comprehensive overview over the publications issued since 1945 about the German-speaking Community and thus forms a pertinent basis for any research into the German-speaking Community.

Band 1, Teil 1, Die Deutschsprachige Gemeinschaft Belgiens. Bibliografie 1945-2002: A1 bis A13

Band 1, Teil 2, Die Deutschsprachige Gemeinschaft Belgiens. Bibliografie 1945-2002: A 14 bis D 14, Verfasserverzeichnis und Inhaltsverzeichnis

Band 2: Die Deutschsprachige Gemeinschaft Belgiens. Bibliografie 2003-2008 mit Nachträgen 1945-2002.

What do we preserve?

The State Archives in Eupen preserve the records of public and private institutions that have or had their seat on the territory of today’s jurisdiction of Eupen (that corresponds to the territory of the German-speaking community of Belgium).
Before 1796, major archive creators were primarily the alderman courts, communes, notary publics, and parishes. Since the 19^th century, courts, public administrations, social welfare centres, and church councils, and since 1984, the government and the ministry of the German-speaking Community emerged as archive creators. In addition, over 100 records from individuals and associations of private law and a collection of maps and plans complete the archives.
The records preserved at the State Archives in Eupen date back to the 14th century. The parish registers and civil status registers regarding the churches and communes in the jurisdiction of Eupen can only be consulted via microfilm or backup copy.
The State Archives in Eupen also preserve the Historical Records (16^th to mid-20^th century) and the newspaper collection (1827-today) of the city of Eupen.
The Historical Library of the State Archives in Eupen counts some 30,000 volumes of different origin about regional history, archives administration, general history and ecclesiastical history, numerous inventories, reference editions, and a large collection of laws from the 17^th to the 20^th centuries.

Who is who?

Head of Service: Alfred Minke
Archivist: Els Herrebout
Reception, reading room, stack-rooms administration: Monique Beuken, Birgit Holländer, Alexa Pauls, Yvonne Souren
Interior maintenance: Germana Diaz

How to get there?

By public transport: The State Archives in Eupen are at a 5 minutes walk from Eupen station. Trains arrive every hour (first departure at 6.10 am, last at 10.10 pm, first arrival at 7.47 am, last at 9.47 pm)
The closest bus stop is located at the upper end of Gospertstraße, near Werthplatz, about 300 m from the State Archives.

By car:
1) From E40 motorway via Herbesthaler-, Vervierser-, Aachener- and Hookstraße; 2) from Germany (Aachen) via N 68 road until Kettenis, then via Aachener- and Hookstraße; 3) from the High Fens via Malmedyerstraße, Frankendelle and Kaperberg. Within the city limits the access roads to the State Archives are signposted.
For parking on Werthplatz (situated at the foot of the Kaperberg) you need a valid parking ticket. On Friday mornings the place hosts a weekly farmers’ market.

Opening and closing hours

Short history of the State Archives in Eupen

Already shortly after the Council of the German Cultural Community (Rat der deutschen Kulturgemeinschaft (RdK)) was appointed on October 23^th, 1973, claims rose, within this assembly, for the establishment of a central archives service on the territory of the German-speaking community that would be assigned with the keeping of the records relating to this territory.
But only when the first Executive and the Council of the German-speaking Community (Rat der Deutschsprachigen Gemeinschaft (RDG)) were appointed on January 30^th, 1984, and a proper jurisdiction (Eupen) was set up on September 23rd, 1985, for the German-speaking part of Belgium, the archives question again became the centre of heightened attention.
During talks between the minister-president of the Executive of the German-speaking Community, Joseph Maraite, and the minister of the newly formed national government (spring 1988) in charge of archives administration, Louis Tobback, the decision was taken – mainly for practical reasons – on August 5th, 1988, to create an archives service in Eupen. In September of the same year, minister Tobback instructed the new National Archivist Dr. Ernest Persoons, on duty since 1987, to “take all necessary measures in order to set up a State Archives repository for the German-speaking Community”.
On November 28^th, 1988, minister Tobback eventually signed the Decree ordering the opening of a State Archives repository in Eupen. The newly created archives service was right away put under the authority of the National Archivist.
By virtue of a directive issued by National Archivist Dr. Persoons, the State Archives in Eupen started work on March 1^st, 1989 in premises provided by the city of Eupen, namely an office room and a stack-room of 75 m². These rooms were located in a magnificent clothier estate built between 1724 and 1728, whose lessee had been the Episcopal school “Collège Patronné” since 1921.
As refurbishing the archive rooms and installing shelves and office furniture took more time than initially planned, the transfer of the records regarding the jurisdiction of Eupen from the State Archives in Liège to Eupen could only take place on April 5^th and 6^th, 1989.
Another major step in the history of the State Archives in Eupen is without doubt the agreement between minister Tobback, minister-president of the German-speaking Community Joseph Maraite, mayor Alfred Evers and city secretary René Quodbach as representative of the city of Eupen, concluded there on November 28th, 1989, exactly one year after the State Archives repository had been set up. This agreement fixed the duties and functioning of the State Archives in Eupen for an undefined transition period. While the city of Eupen confirmed its commitment to allocate premises at the Kaperberg 2-4 for the establishment of an archives repository in a city estate, the German-speaking Community declared its disposition to appoint a doctor or licentiate in modern history, as well as one “administrative” and one “technical” personnel member for the State Archives in Eupen “in anticipation of the recruitment of German-speaking personnel by the Archives administration”.