Archiv-Recherchen

Your Berlin-Based Research Service

About ME
Florian Danecke bei der Arbeit

Welcome! My name is Florian Danecke. As a freelance historian, I offer you my support, advice and experience in working with archival records in Berlin and beyond for your historical research project. I am curious about your project!

More
Services
  • Research service in archives, libraries and collections
  • Advice on research projects
  • Biographical and family history research
  • Genealogical research
  • Provenance research
  • Historical-legal research, analyses and evaluations
  • Research on exhibition objects as well as image, audio and film material
  • Transcriptions (Sütterlin/Kurrent)
  • Translation of documents (German->English)
  • Proofreading (in German) and conventional indexing
Clients
Would you like to obtain access to material in archive holdings outside your geographical reach? Do you need to delegate a research task to free up time? Are you looking for additional relevant source material for your research project? Is extensive and time-consuming biographical research hindering your writing flow?
In close consultation with you, I will examine specific archive holdings, research new material and create autopsies of certain files or collections. If required, I can make copies, summaries, analyses and/or translations of documents. You can rely on comprehensive and thorough documentation. You can also expect support from me with detailed biographical research on contemporary persons/public figures, public officials, military personnel and other actors. I am also prepared to undertake the editing or indexing of the final work.
Would you like to know more about the history of your family, or are you stuck in your genealogical research? Does your family have roots in Germany, Austria or other countries that were under German occupation? Were they victims of Nazi persecution, or did they manage to escape? Have you discovered old handwritten letters, diaries or other documents in Sütterlin or Kurrent script in your private collection but are unable to decipher them?
I can not only help you find relevant archive material relating to your family history, but also place the findings in a historical context; i.e., elaborate on how your relatives managed to flee or survive under Nazi rule. I can also provide you with readable transcriptions of handwritten contemporary documents and, if necessary, with translations.
Do you represent clients in humanitarian and international law cases and/or examine claims for restitution? Do you need support in clarifying the disputed provenance of art objects and paintings? Thanks to my many years of specialization in historical-legal research, especially in international humanitarian rights cases, I can help you with background research on specific cases and the search for relevant materials usable in court, as well as with the identification of potential experts, witnesses or defendants. You can rely on me to handle sensitive data and information discreetly and confidentially.

Do you need external support with research for a research or exhibition project? Would you like to clarify the provenance of an object or open up certain collection or archive holdings?
I can offer you my expertise at short notice and flexibly, particularly in the Berlin-Brandenburg archive landscape. In coordination with you, I will independently research documents, exhibition objects and photographic, visual and audio material, clarify the provenance of a specific object or open up more extensive holdings with thorough documentation.

Have you set yourself the task of reappraising your company’s history? Do you need assistance with producing commemorative publications and anniversary volumes or conducting research for them? Do you want to make your company’s archive accessible?
I am able not only to research figures, data and facts about your company’s history but also enrich them with exciting and entertaining excerpts or even controversial details from the past and put them in context – including detailed biographies of protagonists in the company’s history. Research can be carried out in the company’s own collections and/or external archives.
Are you looking for historical photographs, objects, sound and film clips or background information for an art project, a screenplay, a podcast, an audio, film or television report? I not only offer you my knowledge of contact points and specific archive holdings for media-relevant materials, but also undertake research on institutions, companies, people from contemporary history, other protagonists and exciting background stories. If required, I can determine copyrights, clarify usage rights and create collections of material.
Do you want to sell a painting or other art object but don’t know enough about its provenance? Are you planning an acquisition but are concerned that it might be (Nazi-) looted property? Or are you simply interested in background information on a specific object, along with information regarding its previous owners? I will be happy to help you research the provenance of art objects at short notice and identify conclusive documents or additional information. You can count on my discretion and reliability.
Where

Berlin...

With numerous scientific and cultural institutions, Berlin and its surrounding area is a prominent research location. Containing the Prussian Secret State Archives (GStA), the Federal Archives (BArch) with its Lichterfelde location, the Wehrmacht Information Center (WASt) and the Stasi Records Archive (StUA), as well as the Political Archive of the Federal Foreign Office (PAAA), this area is a central repository for the history of Prussia, the German Reich, the Weimar Republic, the Nazi state, the FRG and the GDR. In addition, the Berlin State Archives (LAB) and the Brandenburg State Main Archives (BLHA), archives of universities and academies, foundations and associations, churches and Jewish history as well as specialist libraries and collections of numerous museums, memorial sites, film and radio archives are located here.
You can benefit not only from my profound knowledge of the local archive landscape, but also from my ability to travel (relatively) short distances within the city.

...and beyond

I would be happy to advise and support you in your research project with my historical expertise, my many years of experience in the Berlin-Brandenburg archives and beyond. As part of my own research and on behalf of my clients, I have also frequently conducted research throughout Germany and Europe. If necessary, I can also undertake business trips to specific archive-, library or collection locations in Germany or Europe at short notice for your project.

References
Federal Archives Berlin/Koblenz (BArch) | German Resistance Memorial Center (GDW), Berlin | MM~LAW LLC, Tel Aviv/Chicago | TV-Productions of the Austrian Broadcasting Corporation (ORF) and the Bavarian Broadcasting Corporation (BR) | CEPA, Lahr (Schwarzwald) | renowned researchers and authors as well as numerous private individuals from various countries
Get in touch
Feel free to contact me directly at florian.danecke [at] archiv-recherchen.de or leave me a few lines about your research project using the contact form. I won't leave you out in the rain with your request!