Topotheques are a collaborative online archive operated in local entities, mostly communities, based on Citizen Science. The focus is on securing, developing and making visible private historical material with the involvement of public institutions that act as motivators and publishers.

“Together with the inventories of public libraries, archives and collections, the Topotheque creates a unique and novel opportunity of safeguarding not always easily accessible historic documents for the public. Now, treasures hidden in private hands can be unveiled and be made accessible for anybody independent of space and time. This way, the topotheque contributes to building regional and historic identities of communities and their population.”

– Dr. Thomas Aigner, ICARUS General Secretary and independent consultant on cultural heritage strategies and digital transformation

The motto “So that it will be remembered”, as adopted by approximately 400 municipalities and cities in Austria since 2010, exemplifies the commitment of the TOPOTHEK organization to fostering the preservation of local heritage. Additionally, Topotheques have been established in many countries all over Europe so far.

A total of three thousand volunteers are engaged in the process of locating, digitising and indexing contemporary documents within their respective communities. The Topotheque database currently contains over 1.7 million data records. The objective is to facilitate public access to the historical heritage of the population on behalf of the public sector. Typically, the local authorities assume responsibility for the local Topotheque. Monetisation is not a factor in this process. The Topotheque, which has evolved from a project into a pre-scientific infrastructure, is operating at full capacity.

Discover more about Topothek at: www.topothek.at