Inquiries and research

The Radolfzell town archive is a public archive that is generally available to everyone. Use is based on the Archive Act of the State of Baden-Württemberg and the user regulations of the City of Radolfzell.

Inquiries should be sent to the postal or e-mail address or made by telephone. Once an inquiry has been received, the staff use the available finding aids to identify the documents relating to your query. As a rule, the files are not searched. Extensive viewing of archive material is to be carried out by the citizens themselves. Due to ongoing business operations, it may take some time to respond to inquiries – our employees ask for your understanding.

Unfortunately, it is not possible to research or provide documents at short notice for spontaneous on-site visits. For this reason, please contact the city archive in good time.

On their first visit to the City Archives, visitors receive a user application form which they must complete.

Anyone planning a visit to the city archive should definitely book in advance, as there is only limited space for guests due to the size of the rooms. The opening hours are Tuesdays from 08:30 to 12:00 and from 14:00 to 17:00.

It is possible to work with a laptop/tablet in the user room. Reproductions of archive records are subject to a fee and are only possible to a limited extent. It is generally possible to take your own photographs of the archive materials.

There is a general retention period of 30 years for subject files, while the retention period for personal files is 30 years after the death or 110 years after the birth of the person(s) concerned. Information on possible retention periods can be obtained from the archive staff.

The state of preservation of the archive material may also prevent use in individual cases. At times, parts of the archive are also undergoing restoration.

Reading assistance and transcriptions are generally not offered by the city archive.

Tips on family research:

Family research is a lengthy and often difficult matter. The staff at the city archives will be happy to help you and find out information about your ancestors. However, there are a few things to bear in mind:

1. The municipal records of births, marriages and deaths do not begin until 1870. If data prior to this period is sought, the respective church/denomination that previously made this record should be contacted.
2. Apart from the birth, marriage and death registers, there are very few records of specific individuals.
3. There are no personal files on living or dead residents. There are only personnel files on former municipal employees. These are to be requested via the personnel office of the city of Radolfzell.
4. A large family book, in which all the inhabitants who have ever lived could be found, does not exist. Often, intensive file research is necessary to find any additional information about the life of an ancestor. There is no guarantee that anything will be found at all.
5. The longer it has been since the death of the deceased, the more difficult it is to find information on individuals.

Tips on building files:

1. Building files can be found at the Building Law Office(Baurecht@Radolfzell.de).

The city archive only archives building files of demolished buildings.