Stadtarchiv Leipzig: A journey through history
How can urban history be brought into the present? What is needed is permanent space that allows for growth - because contemporary events always mean progress and change.
It was precisely this space that the Leipzig City Archives had been lacking since its foundation in the middle of the 19th century. Leipzig's archives had to change locations several times over the years, and yet none of them really fit: the journey began in 1483 under a council office in a secret chamber, led via the Museum of Fine Arts to the Stadthaus and finally to a building complex in the east of Leipzig.
It finally ended in 2016 with a move to Hall 12 of the old exhibition grounds - in the course of which two experts were found in the Dresden architects Eberhard Pfau and Peter Zirkel who took up the challenge of helping the archive to develop new potential.
With a holistic, refined eye, the architect duo has been refurbishing the 13,500 m² Portikus building since 2015 in line with its status as a listed building. In the process, both the structural version from the founding period around 1920 and the renovation features from the GDR era were preserved, such as the unmistakable Soviet star on the tower.
The formerly destroyed parts of the exhibition hall were supplemented by an adjacent new building, thus creating storage capacities until 2030. Modern climatic conditions support the preservation of the archive papers.
In the sanitary areas of the Leipzig City Archive, pre-wall and flushing technology from TECE ensures reliable functionality.