Memories of the End of the War in Berlin
Do you have letters, photos or diaries from after 8 May 1945? Bring them to the Staatsbibliothek (Berlin State Library), have them digitised, and share your story — for the documentation of the post-war period in Berlin. Afterwards, we will decipher the texts together — in workshops held on site and online.
To mark the Berlin theme week “80 Years since the End of the War – Liberation of Europe from National Socialism”, the Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin and Facts & Files warmly invite citizens to take part in the action day on 16 May 2025 by bringing personal keepsakes such as letters, diaries, photos or other objects.
We are looking for documents from the period after 8 May 1945 up to around 1950 that offer personal perspectives on the end of the war, new beginnings, and the path to peace. The aim is to preserve these diverse testimonies of the post-war period and make them accessible for future generations as part of Europe’s cultural heritage.
The focus is on personal stories from the early years of peace — told against the backdrop of destroyed cities, the return of soldiers from captivity, the hardship and disorientation of millions of refugees and displaced people, and the challenging establishment of new democratic structures. These individual experiences make history tangible and show how profoundly the transition from war to peace shaped people’s lives.
Get involved!
The project pursues two main goals, both of which offer opportunities for active participation as citizen scientists.
Firstly, we aim to collect and digitise as many of these private documents as possible. On 16 May 2025 from 10 a.m. onwards, you can bring your keepsakes to the Staatsbibliothek without registering in advance, and have them digitised free of charge. The originals will of course be returned to you afterwards. No technical knowledge is required — the on-site team will provide assistance throughout. All materials will be published on the publicly accessible platform 1945.transcribathon.eu.
From 16 to 30 June 2025, materials may also be uploaded independently to an online database.
Secondly, we invite interested participants to help transcribe these mostly handwritten sources, making their contents readable, searchable, and usable for research. The transcription phase will begin after the action day. We offer introductory courses of around one hour — both in person and online. Until autumn 2025, we will also run workshops where participants can meet, exchange ideas, and help each other decipher the texts.
Tuesday, 17. Juni 2025 15:30 – 17:00 Uhr, Raum Oxford, Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin, Haus Unter den Linden
What does the research contribute to?
With this project, we aim to gain new, previously overlooked perspectives on the immediate post-war period in Berlin by collecting and analysing private documents.
Participants contribute through their personal testimonies and transcription work to documenting everyday life from 1945 to 1950 — a phase marked by reconstruction, political upheaval, social realignment, and individuals’ efforts to come to terms with the consequences of war.
We expect the project to yield new, source-based insights into life after 1945, to highlight individual experiences, and to ensure the long-term digital preservation of these documents as an open resource for research, education, and the general public.
By actively helping to preserve and process historical sources, citizens will create a shared digital memory. In a time when historical interpretation is increasingly contested, this project fosters diversity, empathy and dialogue — and contributes to a European culture of peace and remembrance.
Contact
Dr. Ulrike Reuter
Referat Forschungsdienste: Citizen Science-Projekte
Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin – Preußischer Kulturbesitz
Potsdamer Straße 33
10785 Berlin
+49 30 266 433 151
