Archive of the DPG
The archive of the DPG is a special archive with original documents and publications on the history of physics in Germany from 1845 onwards and is available for research in the history of science. Research in the holdings is possible with the help of a find book or on site with the FAUST archiving program.
The archive's holdings come mainly from three sources:
- Archival records from the holdings of the Physikalische Gesellschaft zu Berlin (PGzB), which was founded in 1845 and from which the Deutsche Physikalische Gesellschaft emerged in 1899,
- Files of the former federation of German physical societies as well as the German physical society,
- Holdings of the Physical Society of the German Democratic Republic, which became the property of the DPG in 1990 after the unification of the two German physical societies.
Electronic index
Are you interested in the holdings of the archive? Would you like to know who' s portraits or group photos are in the archive? Or how many letters from Albert Einstein are there? You will find the answer in the find book.
The find book is the most important tool for indexing the holdings of the DPG archives. It lists the historical old holdings from the year 1845, the files of the Physikalische Gesellschaft zu Berlin and the DPG up to the year 1995. It also provides an overview of the remaining files of the Physikalische Gesellschaft der DDR and of the photo holdings in the archive.
⇒ Electronic index of the DPG Archive [PDF] (german)
Historical member database
Are you interested to know which members the Physical Society had in its founding year? Would you like to know when Werner Heisenberg or Albert Einstein joined the DPG? Are you interested in which DPG members (in a certain year or at all) lived in Bonn?
Bundesarchiv, Bild 102-10447/unbekannt/CC-BY-SA, Bundesarchiv, Bild183-R57262/CC-BY-SA)
List of members 1845 - 1945
The membership list gives a quick overview of the members of the DPG in the first hundred years with life data and period of affiliation to the DPG.
Members database from 1845 - 1945
The members database contains 43,000 records with information on more than 3,300 persons who were members of the DPG from its foundation until 1945. The information from the membership directories, including addresses, was not only simply transferred, but also checked and, if necessary, corrected. The biographical data were supplemented as far as possible. From the display of individual years to the search for specific persons or all members living in a specific city, there are various search options. If you have special knowledge about one or more persons, you have the possibility to inform us about this via a supplementary message.
The membership database is open to all DPG members. You will need your membership card to log in.
⇒ Link to the historical membership database 1845 - 1945
Use of the DPG archive
The use is possible after previous registration to the archivist of the DPG. The registration can be made in writing, by telephone or by e-mail to 
.
Address of the archive
Deutsche Physikalische Gesellschaft
Magnus-Haus Berlin
Archiv der DPG
Am Kupfergraben 7
10117 Berlin
Tel: 0049-(0)30-201748-0
Fax: 0049-(0)30-201748-50