The State Archives of Hesse in Darmstadt launched a project to digitise their regional theatre historical archives. Memorist was chosen to carry out the digitisation of these assets between August and November 2023 in its new German workshop in Berlin.

The Hessische Landesarchiv is the central point of contact for anyone wishing to learn more about the history of the federal state and its predecessors. Part of the Ministry of Science and Art of the State of Hesse, it contains almost 150 linear kilometres of written archives, over 800,000 maps and plans and around 240,000 documents that are open to the public for consultation. The Hessian State Archives consists of four departments: the Hessian State Archives in Darmstadt, Marburg, Wiesbaden and the Central Services Department, which also includes the Digital Department.

Since the construction of its recent studio in Berlin, Memorist has already begun digitising the handwritten archives. These include numerous files from the Hoftheater (D8 collection), the Court Theatre, dating from the beginning of the 20th century to 1918, as well as those of the Landestheater (G55 collection), the National Theatre, from 1918 to 1945. These archives retrace the history of these theatres, from backstage administration to general organisation, including accounting and housekeeping.

Known for its mastery of the expertise involved in the enhancement and preservation of legacy assets, Memorist provided its services and state-of-the-art equipment to meet the specific needs of the Hesse State Archives. For this project, Memorist’s new German headquarters made available its experts, all heritage lovers, and its interface specially developed to facilitate efficient management of the 2D digitisation process.

This digitisation mission will enable the State Archives of Hesse in Darmstadt to make these archives available on their Arcinsys platform, which already contains 9 million archival documents from Hesse. They will then be accessible to members of the public who wish to consult them online, as well as on site, in the reading room.

Memorist's involvement in a project of this kind underpins the brand's expertise in the conservation of German heritage. Historically the French leader in heritage conservation, MEMORIST wishes to contribute its skills and experts to the service of Germany's historical, cultural and artistic heritage over the long term.

Carrying out a project in Memorist's own workshop in Germany for the State Archives of Hesse in Darmstadt ensures the brand can continue implementing its international development strategy, particularly in Germany, which represents a key market for its exceptional historical heritage.

The German people have a strong desire to fund conservation projects to maintain, protect and enhance their cultural heritage, particularly since reunification and following the destruction caused by the two world wars. Germany must respond to the need to redefine a new relationship with history and its own history, as part of a cultural project in which heritage plays a decisive role. This is why Memorist has a key role to play in this market.

Thanks to Memorist's German workshop, the French brand can meet its customers' needs for outsourced services. MEMORIST also continues to provide on-site heritage conservation services at its customers' premises, for example:

- at the German National Library and the Museum of Books and Writing in Leipzig, where 6 scanners and 10 people are working for another 2 years, with Arkhênum;

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