Deutsches Tagebucharchiv
Archive of private diaries, letters and memoirs in Emmendingen's Altes Rathaus, with a small museum on everyday history.
About the museum
The Deutsches Tagebucharchiv (German Diary Archive) was founded in Emmendingen in January 1998 as a registered association, modeled on a similar archive in Pieve Santo Stefano, Italy. It collects unpublished personal accounts by ordinary people – diaries, correspondence and memoirs – donated by families or by the authors themselves.
The holdings range from the late 18th century to the present and now comprise around 28,000 documents by more than 5,500 people. A small professional staff and around a hundred volunteers catalog, read and digitize the texts; an online catalog makes them searchable for researchers, the media and schools. In 2019 the collection was registered as a movable cultural monument of special significance in Baden-Württemberg.
The archive is based in the Baroque Altes Rathaus (Old Town Hall) on Emmendingen's market square. A small museum opened there in November 2014, displaying selected originals and using audio and media stations to offer insights into travel, youth and war diaries and into the archive's work. The archive also offers guided tours and talks for groups and school classes and continually accepts new documents.
Highlights
- Around 28,000 private personal accounts from the 18th century to today
- Original diaries by travelers, young people and witnesses of war
- Media station with audio texts, photos and videos
- Housed in the Altes Rathaus on the market square
Permanent exhibitions
- Lebenslust – Lebenslast – Lebenskunst: Tagebücher erzählen – Small display of just over two dozen selected originals, from artistically designed artists' diaries and travel journals to youth diaries, complemented by a media station with audio texts.
- Founded
- 1998
- Operated by
- Deutsches Tagebucharchiv e. V.
Admission & discounts
| Adults | €5 |
|---|---|
| Groups | –Short tour (30–60 min., up to 6 people) €50 flat rate; tour with museum visit up to 10 people €120, each additional person €12; school classes and students up to 10 people €70, each additional person €7. |
No discounts are mentioned on the website.
Accessibility
- Wheelchair accessible: no information
- Elevator
- Accessible restroom: no information
- Accessible parking: no information
- Service dogs welcome: no information
- Tactile models & exhibits: no information
- Sign language tours: no information
- Easy-to-read materials: no information
- Audio description: no information
The Altes Rathaus has an elevator.
Kids & families
The museum hasn’t published any information on this – please ask the museum directly.
Getting there & parking
By public transit
Bahnhof/ZOB Emmendingen · 3-min walk
About a 3-minute walk from Emmendingen train station and bus station (ZOB).
By car
Parking available · 2-min walk to the entrance
No parking lot of its own; the parking garage at the Merk-Galerie shopping center is recommended (GPS: Freiburger Straße 4).
Amenities & dining
Exhibition catalog available for €8.
Events & venue rental
The museum hasn’t published any information on this – please ask the museum directly.
Plan your visit
| Guided tours | yes |
|---|---|
| Audio guide | yes |
| School programs | yes |
| Good to know | Audio guide via QR code on your own smartphone (bring headphones). Tours and lectures by arrangement in German, English and French, not on weekends; registration at 07641 574659 or dta@tagebucharchiv.de. Short tours last 30 to 60 minutes. |
