Latest Internet resources added to the German subject area

Joseph Haydn-Institut

Fri, 27 Nov 2009 00:00:01 GMT

Available in German only, this is the website of the Joseph Haydn-Institut, which was founded in Cologne, Germany in 1955. The main purpose of the institute was to compile and publish the complete works of Austrian composer Joseph Haydn (1732-1809). It also commissions a comprehensive bibliography on Haydn, which is published by G. Henle Verlag in Munich. The institute's library contains a source card index, and original scores and manuscripts. The website provides information about the institute's publications under 'Haydn-Studien'. Details about the bibliography is also provided. This is an invaluable source of information for anyone involved in the study of Haydn.

After the wall

Tue, 30 Jun 2009 00:00:01 GMT

This website provides access to information on the 'interdisciplinary research network which has been set up in order to examine the ways in which the East German past has been � and is being � reconstructed and represented since the demise of the German Democratic Republic (GDR)'. The project centres around a number of events taking place in 2009 and 2010 in order to remember the GDR, and to develop our understanding of how East German history, society, culture and politics fit into place in a unified Germany. This website provides information on the project, along with information on a number of workshops and conferences. Users should note that, as of June 2009, some of the website (for example, information on the conference) is still under construction.

German Jewish travelling cultures in the diaspora, 1919-1939

Thu, 4 Jun 2009 00:00:01 GMT

This very short PDF document describes the background to the AHRC funded project “German Jewish Travelling Cultures in the Diaspora, 1919-1939”. The project examines Jewish interwar travel writing with its comingling of modernity and nostalgia and looking beyond the German nation state, sees Europe as “a powerful Jewish historical landscape“ offering “communists, Zionist travellers and middle-class tourists“ alike conflicting alternative Jewish futures.

Kunstverein Hannover

Thu, 30 Apr 2009 00:00:01 GMT

This is the website of the Kunstverein Hannover, an art association that, set up in 1832, was one of the first of its kind in Germany. The 'About us' section on the website has information about the origins and history of the institution as well as an outline of its programmes and aims. An exhibition section has information about current, past and forthcoming exhibitions, as well as touring exhibitions and complementary events and discussions. The Kunstverein has a library, which can be visited by appointment, and the website has publications and artists' editions for sale. The press section has large images available alongside press release (these are in German and can be downloaded as PDF files). The website is available in both English and German, has a links page to local organisations and a keyword search facility.

Primary sources on copyright in five jurisdictions 1450-1900

Thu, 30 Apr 2009 00:00:01 GMT

This website is “a digital archive of primary sources on copyright from the invention of the printing press (c. 1450) to the Berne Convention (1886) and beyond”. Funded by the AHRC, this ambitious and extensive database includes digital images and commentary for key texts in the evolution of intellectual property law pertaining to five modern jurisdictions: Britain, Germany, France, Italy, the United States. Documents include “privileges, statutes, judicial decisions, contracts and materials relating to legislative history” as well as “contemporary letters, essays, treatises and artefacts”. Material was compiled by separate national editors, and limited to 50 core texts (20 for the USA and Italy covering a much shorter time period) supplemented by “many more” contextual documents. Inclusions were additionally scrutinised by an international editorial board. The development of copyright is outlined in its broadest sense, with documents relating to subjects as varied as the book trade, authorship, fine art, printed textiles, dramatic performance, telegraphic cable messages and photography. The database allows browsing several perspectives – documents are assembled into useful lists which can be traced as a global timeline or within specific jurisdiction, as well as enabling browsing by individual locations and authors. Documents can further be browsed by Institution, Legislation and Case law referred to. This resource is obviously invaluable to anyone studying the history of intellectual property law but its detailed commentary and clear structure make it useful to those studying a far wider range of historical subjects.

Language box

Mon, 13 Apr 2009 00:00:01 GMT

The 'Language Box' is an online resource whereby teachers and students will be able to share their learning materials for any language. The site has been developed by the Faroes project team at the the University of Southampton and the University of Portsmouth, with the financial support of JISC. The site is very easy to navigate, and in most cases users can view previews of the materials before downloading them. Sometimes free registration is necessary to be able to download files. Materials can be browsed by: type; language; or tags. Activities cover a wide range of languages such as: Chinese; English; French; German; Arabic; etc. Likewise, activities are of a wide range and they include: videos; computer applications; texts; and exercises. Although this site is of recent creation, it is growing gradually and is being updated regularly. This all is the result of the collaboration between students and teachers, as they share the resources which they have found useful for language learning. Anyone interested in learning a language will therefore find this resource useful.

Heimito von Doderer Gesellschaft

Mon, 30 Mar 2009 00:00:01 GMT

This is the website of the Heimito von Doderer Society. Some of the features in English are still under construction and students are often referred to the German version of the website. Despite this, there is still a wealth of information here about the Austrian author Heimito von Doderer (1896-1966), probably best known in the U.K. for his novel 'Die D�monen' ('The Demons') (1956). Details are given about membership of the Society and its annual prize: 'The Heimito von Doderer Prize for Literature'. Bibliographic information about his work, synopses of scholarly contributions examining his work, interviews with contemporary witnesses (in German), a brief curriculum vitae and overview of his work, is provided. Audio recordings of Heimito von Doderer reading a selection of his work can be accessed using a QuickTime Player. Some English translations of his work are available to download in PDF. The whole site has a search facility.

Friedrich Naumann foundation

Thu, 26 Feb 2009 00:00:01 GMT

The Friedrich Naumann Foundation (FNF) is a non-profit organisation that promotes liberal democracy, peace, respect for human rights, rule of law, and social and economic freedom. It seeks to uphold and explore the ideas of Friedrich Naumann, the nineteenth and early twentieth century German Protestant thinker who espoused liberalism and remedies for social ills in non-Marxist, bourgeois arguments for progressive reform. The site provides a history of the foundation established in Naumann's honour in 1958 by Theodor Heuss, the first president of the Federal Republic of Germany after the Second World War. The site serves the foundation's larger purpose of providing liberal civic education programmes to the general public. The site also outlines the foundation's work alongside partner organisations, NGOs, and governmental bodies to provide policy consultation at an international level. Of note here are the foundation's activities in East Asia, Latin America, Eastern Europe and the Middle East; its internships; publications; online full text articles; latest news; press releases; video clips of liberal democratic politicians worldwide; forums which publish opinion pieces and commentaries; the foundation's International Academy for Leadership; seminars and training; famous liberal quotes; and archived site resources. One section is devoted to providing brief biographies of noted liberal thinkers, which will, along with other materials here, aid teachers and members of the general public as much as students. Researchers who are interested in assessing the development of liberal ideological ideas over time or who are interested in the foundation's projects and funding should find this site to be useful. The site also provides a list of related links and e-cards.

Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin : Preussischer Kulturbesitz

Tue, 17 Feb 2009 00:00:01 GMT

This is the Website of the Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin, the State Library in Berlin, which has, in earlier incarnations, been preserving Prussian cultural heritage since 1661. This Website gives information on the history of the library's holdings, including the dissemination of the collections during World War II. During the Cold War, the library survived in two East and West Berlin sites, an arrangement will still persists after German reunification and the reunification of the library in 1992. The library's holdings extend well beyond German materials to include international printed works; manuscripts; music; maps; globes; atlases; estates; newspapers; periodicals; official publications; and microformed materials. The library holds some 10 million books; 4,400 incunabula; 18,500 occidental manuscripts; 40,000 oriental manuscripts; 1,400 personal archives; 450,000 print music editions; 1 million maps and atlases; 38,000 subscription periodicals and monographic series; 180,000 early newspaper volumes; 2.3 million microfiches and microfilms; and 13.5 million images in the picture archive. Among several famous iterms, the library boasts original music autographs by Bach and Beethoven, and a parchment Gutenberg Bible.

The site provides an online catalogue and extensive details on these collections and the library departments which manage them, rules for access, and information for visitors. Each section offers digitised sources, online publications, and databases along with lists of internal and external links. Digitised collections are a true prize here, and users should check the many subsites for resources in their fields. Among several primary source subsites, researchers will find excellent materials in Beethoven Digital, with essays in German and scanned illustrations from the library's holdings; Preu�ische Rechtsquellen Digital, or Prussian Digital Legal Sources; and Amtspresse Preu�ens, which makes available Prussian political and official correspondence from the nineteenth century. The main site is in German with some limited parallel explanatory sections in English and Russian.

Ferdinand Freiligrath Briefrepertorium

Wed, 11 Feb 2009 00:00:01 GMT

Ferdinand Freiligrath Briefrepertorium is a website which aids research on the German writer and poet, Ferdinand Freiligrath (1810-1876), who was a friend of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807-1882). In the 1840s he became more political and attracted the attention of Karl Marx (1818-1883); historians will note Freiligrath's letters with Engels about Marx, which are listed here. This site posts a research index to Freilgrath's published and unpublished correspondence, including letters, visiting cards, telegrams and similar documents. It provides a systematic bibliographic and archival guide to these sources, which was developed between 1998 and 2000. A search engine allows detailed searches by addressee, date, or full text word search. Searches bring up the date, place of writing, topic of letter, and archival location of each actual letter or item or correspondence. To aid searches, dozens of addressees are listed alphabetically on a separate subpage, and include little known and famous figures, such as Hans Christian Andersen. Another subpage devoted to 'Siglen,' or sigla, that is, to archival or bibliographic abbeviations, gives short descriptions of various correspondence topics in particular archival collections. A list of institutions which hold collections worldwide is provided. An index of persons was still under construction at the time of review. The site is entirely in German; scholars working in German Studies and nineteenth century History will find this site to be a wonderful aid to investigating Freiligrath as well as the links between Romanticism, socialism and nationalism.

Ernst Barlach Gesellschaft Hamburg

Tue, 10 Feb 2009 00:00:01 GMT

This is the homepage of Ernst Barlach Association concerning the life and works of the German expressionist artist, Ernst Barlach (1870-1938), who was persecuted during the early Nazi period for creating so-called 'degenerate art.' Barlach's work was banned by the Nazi party because his works carried an anti-war theme in the period leading up to the Second World War. His pacifist stance stemmed from his experiences in the First World War. In the section, 'Vita,' the site provides a summary of biographical details in a useful timeline. Other sections provide scanned images of Barlach's artworks, particularly scuptures, prints and drawings, along with brief descriptions of artistic movements and the Great War that influenced him. There is also a subpage devoted to Barlach's written works, some of which were dramatic, some of which were autobiographcal. A couple of scanned handwritten pages are posted as examples. The Association's small online shop sells published copies of Barlach's writings and books about him. The Wedel and Ratzeberg sections describe two galleries devoted to Barlach that are respectively located in these German towns. The site explains how to join the Association and receive the latest news on its activities. Information is presented in German and English and should prove a helpful initial resource for study of this long-neglected artist and writer.

British library : German and Austrian exile periodicals 1933-1945

Sun, 8 Feb 2009 00:00:01 GMT

German and Austrian Exile Periodicals 1933-1945 is a research site posted by the German Section of the British Library. It provides a listing of German-language periodicals written and produced by Nazi-era exiles from Germany and Austria, which are held at the British Library. This resource will prove of interest to those researching the history of both German and German Jewish culture outside of Germany during the Nazi period. These periodicals were published in London, Paris, Copenhagen and Amsterdam, among other cities. The collection includes works by "Bertolt Brecht, Lion Feuchtwanger, Hugo Huppert, Berta Lask, Georg Lukacs, Heinrich Mann, Thomas Mann, Gustav Regler, Anna Seghers, Friedrich Wolf, and Paul Zech." Aside from complete runs, there is also a select list of isolated periodical issues which the library possesses. The site provides shelfmarks and locations of these resources in the British Library as well as further relevant research aids and links to external sites.

Goethe-Institut : Deutschland Erlesen

Fri, 6 Feb 2009 00:00:01 GMT

Text and the City: a literary map of Germany is an English translation of the German website, Deutschland Erlesen. The English site is presented by the Goethe Institute in London. The site provides selections from recent and contemporary well-known writers, who hail from, or are associated with, fourteen German towns and cities: Berlin; Bremen; Dresden; Frankfurt am Main; Hamburg; Cologne; Bonn; Leipzig; Mannheim; Heidelberg; Munich; Rostock; Stuttgart; and Weimar. There are some references to famous authors from earlier periods. Biographical and bibliographical information are presented for each author, along with relevant links lists. Some of the English translations reproduced here have been commissioned exclusively for this site, and appear for the first time. They can be viewed together with all the corresponding German texts. The site would function as a good teaching tool, or as an introduction for undergraduates or interested members of the public.

Exilpresse digital : Deutsche Exilzeitschriften 1933-1945

Fri, 6 Feb 2009 00:00:01 GMT

Exilpresse digital: Deutsche Exilzeitschriften 1933-1945 is an online project published by the German National Library and based on collections of the Exiled Germans Archive, 1933-1945 at the German Library in Frankfurt am Main and related collections of exile literature in Leipzig. These collections contain a total of about 30,000 individual publications and volumes and some 900 periodical titles; a portion of this total was digitized between 1998 and 2003. Around thirty periodicals from the Nazi period from a broad range of subjects are posted on this site. They were published in German in places as diverse as New York, Paris, Shanghai and London. Several, but not all, of the newspapers are Jewish publications, such as the Shanghai Jewish Chronicle; J�disches Nachrichtenblatt (The Jewish Voice, Shanghai); Gemeindeblatt der J�dischen Kultusgemeinde (Shanghai); and Ordo (Paris). Publication histories of the scanned periodicals are posted separately. Resources can be searched by keyword, year, issue and page. A keyword catalogue is provided. Pages have a zoom function for easier viewing. There are some glitches in the site's navigation. The site is entirely in German.

German history in documents and images

Thu, 29 Jan 2009 00:00:01 GMT

German History in Documents and Images (GHDI) exhibits primary sources online to present a narrative of Germany's political, social, and cultural history from 1500 to the present. The site includes historical narrative overviews and original German texts, accompanied by new English translations. Short secondary historical narratives are prepared by a variety of current scholars who are specialists in relevant fields. The site is divided into ten sections according to historical time periods, with each addressing the following themes: government and administration; parties and organizations; military and war; economy and labour; nature and environment; gender, family, and generations; region, city, and countryside; religion; literature, art, and music; elite and popular cultures; and science and education. Primary sources and texts can be downloaded from the site, which is extermely useful for teaching, research, and study purposes. The site prohibits commercial use.