About us

The East German Studies Archive (EGSA) was established in 1994 as the core element in the newly-founded Centre for East German Studies. It now exists as a facility in its own right, forming part of the University's Special Collections, and providing a unique repository for a comprehensive range of primary and secondary materials relating to East Germany. The bulk of the holdings relate to the GDR years (1949-1990), but there are also holdings of relevance to the four years of Soviet occupation (1945-1949) and the post-unification period (1990 onwards).

With over 6,000 books, journals, pamphlets, dossiers, films, and GDR memorabilia, EGSA provides an academic focal-point for research into the history, politics, society, culture, media, literature, and film of East Germany since the Second World War. Within its comprehensive range of materials there are particular strengths in such areas as school textbooks, the churches, oppositional activity in the latter years of the GDR, and GDR film.

We welcome approaches from academic researchers and others who may wish to consult the holdings. Access is free, with only a small charge to cover the cost of any photocopying. Schools are especially welcome to make use of the Archive, or to contact us about teaching materials or possible workshops. The Archive is also integrated into our undergraduate programme, with student presentations and placements. The Blog presents a sample of the materials held in the Archive and student work on these.

For further information, or to arrange a visit, please contact the Archive Curator, Dr Ute Wölfel, at u.wolfel@reading.ac.uk

A list of EGSA members can be found here.