Deutsche Gesellschaft für Eisenbahngeschichte

Deutsche Gesellschaft für Eisenbahngeschichte
Bernd Untiedt · CC BY-SA 3.0 · source
Name	Deutsche Gesellschaft für Eisenbahngeschichte
Native name	Deutsche Gesellschaft für Eisenbahngeschichte
Formation	1967
Headquarters	Neuenrade
Location	Germany
Fields	Railway history, preservation, heritage

Deutsche Gesellschaft für Eisenbahngeschichte The Deutsche Gesellschaft für Eisenbahngeschichte is a German society dedicated to the study, preservation, and dissemination of railway history, founded amid postwar heritage movements. It collaborates with museums, archives, and institutions across Germany and Europe to document rolling stock, infrastructure, and technical literature associated with major railways and industrial sites. The society engages with international networks to compare developments in railway engineering, operations, and urban transit from the 19th to 20th centuries.

History

The society traces roots to postwar preservation efforts similar to initiatives by Deutsche Bundesbahn, Deutsche Reichsbahn, Bundesbahn, Deutsches Technikmuseum Berlin, and regional groups such as Bavarian Railway Museum and Museumseisenbahn movements. Influences include figures and institutions like Oskar von Miller, Friedrich List, Georg von Siemens, Heinrich Schliemann (as a model of antiquarianism), and organizations such as Verein Deutscher Ingenieure, Deutsche Gesellschaft für Verkehrsgeschichte, and Association of Railway Museums. Early collaborations occurred with rail administrations including Royal Bavarian State Railways, Prussian State Railways, Saxon State Railways, Württemberg State Railways, and later with Reichsbahn and Bundesbahn. The society's evolution paralleled preservation milestones at sites like Wolsztyn Steam Depot, Nuremberg Transport Museum, Hamburg Museum of Technology, and projects tied to restoration practices advocated by ICOMOS and Deutsche Stiftung Denkmalschutz.

Mission and Activities

The society's mission aligns with heritage advocacy seen at UNESCO and national frameworks like Denkmalschutzgesetz and involves technical conservation similar to work at Siemens, ALSTOM, Bombardier Transportation, Krauss-Maffei, and Henschel. Activities include cataloguing collections akin to efforts by the National Railway Museum (United Kingdom), coordinating with archives such as the Bundesarchiv, Deutsche Nationalbibliothek, Landesarchiv Nordrhein-Westfalen, and exchanging expertise with universities like RWTH Aachen University, Technische Universität Berlin, Technische Universität München, and Leibniz Universität Hannover. The society advises restoration projects for locomotives and carriages related to classes from Prussian P 8, DRG Class 01, DB Class 103, DRG Class 52, DBAG Class 101, and collaborates with companies like Deutz AG and MAN SE on mechanical historians.

Publications and Research

The society publishes periodicals and monographs comparable to titles from Eisenbahn-Kurier, Verkehrsgeschichte, Lok Magazin, Zeitschrift für Verkehrswissenschaft, and academic series from Stuttgart University Press, Springer, and Routledge on transport history. Research topics encompass networks studied in works about the Berlin–Hamburg Railway, Rhine Valley Railway, Saxon-Franconian trunk line, Gotthard Rail Tunnel, and international comparisons with Trans-Siberian Railway, Orient Express, Great Western Railway, and Pennsylvania Railroad. Collaboration extends to scholars at Deutsches Historisches Museum, Hamburg University, University of Oxford, Harvard University, University of Cambridge, and heritage organizations like Historic England and Railway Heritage Trust. The society's bibliographies reference authors such as Bahnhoff, Christian Wolmar, John H. White, Christian Stangel, and archival collections including holdings from Siemens Historical Institute and British National Railway Museum.

Collections and Museums

Collections overseen or catalogued by the society parallel holdings at DB Museum, Museum für Verkehr und Technik, Verkehrszentrum des Deutschen Museum, Saxon Railway Museum Chemnitz, Bavarian Railway Museum Nördlingen, Dampflok museum Neuenmarkt-Wirsberg, Railway Museum Bochum-Dahlhausen, German Steam Locomotive Museum Neuenmarkt, and international partners like Cité du Train, Museo Nacional del Ferrocarril, Railway Museum of Athens, and NMUK. The society documents artifacts ranging from locomotives like BR 18, BR 50, BR 86 to signalling equipment from Siemens & Halske, telegraph apparatus akin to Morse code installations, and station architecture related to Hamburg Hauptbahnhof, Frankfurt Hauptbahnhof, Munich Hauptbahnhof, Leipzig Hauptbahnhof, and Cologne Hauptbahnhof. It assists in provenance research for items associated with industrial firms such as ThyssenKrupp, Borsig, Krupp, and consults with curators at Victoria and Albert Museum and Smithsonian Institution.

Events and Education

The society organizes conferences, symposia, and excursions comparable to events by International Association of Transport and Communications Museums, European Railway Heritage Network, and festival activities similar to Railfest, Heritage Railway Association events, and Eisenbahnfest. Educational outreach includes workshops held with institutions like Deutsche Bahn Academy, Bundesbahn-Betriebswerk, Hochschule für Technik und Wirtschaft Berlin, and collaborations for school programs with Stiftung Lesen and Deutsches Museum educational units. Public events often feature restored stock from partnerships with Saxon Steam Railway Company, Bavarian Localbahn, Rhein-Sieg-Eisenbahn, and international guest locomotives from Czech Railways, Polish State Railways, and Russian Railways.

Organization and Membership

The society's structure mirrors associations such as Transport Trust, National Railway Historical Society, and regional bodies like Eisenbahnfreunde, with membership tiers for individuals, families, institutions, and corporate partners including Siemens Mobility, DB Cargo, Deutsche Bahn, Alstom Deutschland, and Voith Turbo. Governance includes elected boards, working groups on restoration, archives, and publications that liaise with academic partners at Max Planck Society, Fraunhofer Society, Helmut Schmidt University, and legal advisors familiar with Bundesgesetzblatt procedures. Membership benefits include access to archives, participation in restoration projects, and subscriptions to society publications, while volunteer programs connect retirees from Deutsche Bundesbahn and engineers from firms like Siemens, Krauss-Maffei, and Henschel.

Category:Rail transport preservation in Germany Category:Historical societies in Germany