ÌÇÐÄTV

 
A project hosted by My-Parish at ÌÇÐÄTV History

 
For many centuries right up to the present, communities in and around Austria, Germany and Switzerland have placed documents, images and objects intended for posterity into spheres located at the top of prominent buildings. Where and why was this peculiar form of trans-generational communication practiced, how did descendants respond to recovered deposits, what 'stories' of the past are to be recovered and which insights can historians gain from it all? These orientation pages in English provide examples of sites and materials gathered during field work and archive / library research over the last decade. For (in German).

Preliminary findings are available open access in (in German), and / (in English) plus numerous media features (see 'Press Coverage' / 'Audio & Videos' boxes below).

Data gathering is ongoing and pointers to further sites and deposits are always welcome.
To obtain / supply information please contact the PI: Beat Kümin ( )
Advisory Board: Margareth Lanzinger (Vienna), Arnd Reitemeier (Göttingen), Heinrich R. Schmidt (Bern); Data Entry Research Assistant: Ollie Ross (ÌÇÐÄTV)

Sites & Sources

 
Discover locations / maps & source samples for Germany, Austria & Switzerland, in particular the regional case studies of:

• BRUNSWICK & MECKLENBURG-VP
• VORARLBERG
• CANTON OF ZURICH

Activities & Events

 
Access updates on research progress & related events through the PROJECT BLOG:

• Post 27: Austrian sites uploaded
• Posts # 18-19. New website in German & six part video series

Documents & Scholarship

 
Browse a select bibliography of:

• archival resources
• printed primary texts
• secondary materials
• project outputs

Press coverage

• H. Arnet, '', Tages Anzeiger (25/1/24)
• R. Brockschmidt, '', Tagesspiegel (6/5/2024)
• R. Claaßen, '', Rhein-Zeitung (3/2/24)
• U. Heini, 'Das steckte in der Kirchturm-kugel', Bote der Urschweiz (2/11/23)
• G.Kleinhubbert, '', Der Spiegel 5 (27/1/24)
• H. Kohlmaier, '', Bild.de (19/4/24)
• B. Kümin, '', Bote der Urschweiz (8 articles from 12/7/25)
• P. Wehner, '', Süddeutsche Zeitung (21/3/24)
• '', reformiert-zuerich (14/5/24)

Audio & Videos

• SWR2 Matinee 'Spitzen' (10/12/2023)
• ORF 'Vorarlberg Heute' (3/4/24: )
• podcast (21/5/24)
• Features on Swiss stations (4/7/24) & SRF 1 (23/7/24, )
• Interviews for radio Bayern 2 () & ()

• Gerda Henkel Stiftung documenting field work in Switzerland ( / play & maximize trailer below):
   

Researcher
 

 
Beat Kümin is Professor of Early Modern European History at the University of ÌÇÐÄTV (U.K.) and has previously worked on imperial villages and public houses in the German lands. He co-ordinates the network and platform. For further information please visit the academic homepage or mail b.kumin@warwick.ac.uk. Pic: ORF.