Historische Kommission für Niedersachsen und Bremen

The Historische Kommission für Niedersachsen und Bremen e. V. is a German scholarly association dedicated to the regional history of northwestern Germany. Founded in 1910 on the initiative of the Göttingen historian Karl Brandi, it is headquartered in the building of the Lower Saxony State Archives – Main State Archive Hannover. The commission brings together roughly 300 scholars working on the history of the region and is supported by the federal states of Lower Saxony and Bremen as well as by more than 100 municipalities, corporations, institutions, associations and private individuals who act as patrons. Its stated mission is to advance regional historical research in all its forms and directions, taking on projects that exceed the capacities of local historical associations or individual researchers. The commission is organized as a registered association (eingetragener Verein). It is led by a four-member board, with a committee of about 15 scholars advising on and deciding about the commission's scholarly work and proposals for new members. The general assembly elects the board and committee and votes on the admission of new members. Since 2016 the chairman has been Henning Steinführer, director of the Braunschweig city archive. The commission holds public annual conferences in changing locations across Lower Saxony and Bremen, often lasting two days with lectures and discussions. In addition, four working groups (for economic and social history, for the history of the 19th and 20th centuries, for Jewish history, and for medieval history) hold usually semi-annual public meetings. The commission's publishing activities are central to its identity. Since 1914 it has issued source editions, map works and monographs on the history of northwestern Germany. Its publication series was reorganized in 1999, abandoning numerous sub-series in favor of a uniform numbering as a single overall series; more than 320 works, some multi-volume, have appeared. Since 1924 it has published the Niedersächsisches Jahrbuch für Landesgeschichte, the leading annual regional-history periodical for the present-day federal state of Lower Saxony, which also serves the Historischer Verein für Niedersachsen as its publication organ. The commission also maintains online offerings such as the digitized yearbook, a database of Welf seals, Lower Saxon city views, and online cabinet protocols. It awards a prize for Lower Saxon regional history and runs projects including a handbook on the history of Lower Saxony, editions of charters, and the history of the Lower Saxon parliament and estates. The commission's history reflects the broader political currents of 20th-century Germany. It was founded as an academic association, deliberately setting itself somewhat apart from the homeland movement and the historical associations. During the Nazi period the Führer principle was imposed on the commission, and under Georg Schnath, who led it from 1938 to 1971, it engaged with questions of so-called ethnicity and peasant research. After the war it resumed work in 1947, though former active Nazis were still elected as members into the early 1950s. Modernization came only toward the end of Schnath's long tenure in the late 1960s, when membership grew, new questions were opened up, and interdisciplinary work and working groups emerged. Under Hans Patze (chairman 1971–1986) work began on a multi-volume history of Lower Saxony that remains unfinished. Subsequent chairmen included Heinrich Schmidt (1986–1998), who promoted research on the Nazi era; Ernst Schubert (1998–2006), who emphasized parliamentary traditions; Thomas Vogtherr (2006–2016); and Henning Steinführer (since 2016). In 2010 the commission marked its centenary and published the first monograph on its own history.

The Historische Kommission für Niedersachsen und Bremen was founded in 1910 on the initiative of the Göttingen historian Karl Brandi (1868–1946), who served as its chairman until 1938. Among its founders were the Hanover provincial administration, the states of Braunschweig, Oldenburg and Schaumburg-Lippe, the Free Hanseatic City of Bremen, and the major historical associations of Lower Saxony. From the outset it understood itself as an academic association, which placed it in a certain contrast to the homeland movement and the historical associations. Its first scholarly undertakings included a historical atlas of Lower Saxony with the necessary preparatory work, the publication of regesta and editions of medieval charters, and the publication of university matriculation registers. In 1924 the commission published its scholarly periodical, the Niedersächsisches Jahrbuch für Landesgeschichte, for the first time. It served as a common organ for the Prussian Province of Hanover, the Grand Duchy of Oldenburg, the Duchy of Braunschweig, the Principality of Schaumburg-Lippe and the Free Hanseatic City of Bremen, and also served the Braunschweig Historical Association, the Museum Association for the Principality of Lüneburg, the Association for the History of the City of Einbeck and that of the City of Göttingen. With the Nazi seizure of power in 1933, the Führer principle was imposed on the commission. In 1938 Georg Schnath (1898–1989), then director of the archive in Hanover, took over the leadership of the commission and retained it until 1971. During the Nazi period, under Schnath's leadership, the commission also dealt with questions of so-called ethnicity and peasant research. Nothing is known about the exclusion of persons persecuted on racial or political grounds. After the end of the war, the commission resumed its work in 1947. Even in the early 1950s, persons who had been actively committed to National Socialism were elected as members of the commission. Only toward the end of Schnath's more than thirty-year era, in the late 1960s, did the modernization of the commission succeed: the number of members increased, the commission opened itself to new questions and worked increasingly in an interdisciplinary manner, and working groups emerged (currently: for economic and social history, for the history of the 19th and 20th centuries, for the history of the Jews, for the history of the Middle Ages). Under the chairmanship of the Göttingen historian Hans Patze (1919–1995), chairman from 1971 to 1986, work began on a multi-volume history of Lower Saxony that remains unfinished to this day. Otherwise, the work concentrated on the rapidly appearing charter books of Lower Saxon institutions and cities. The Oldenburg historian Heinrich Schmidt (1928–2022) followed Patze as chairman in 1986 and, beyond the commission's previous activities, particularly promoted research on the Nazi period, which was advanced in several projects. Ernst Schubert (1941–2006) from Göttingen, chairman from 1998 to 2006, placed particular emphasis on researching the parliamentary traditions of the Lower Saxon territories and initiated a handbook of the history of the parliament and estates, combined with publications of the associated parliamentary recesses. From 2006 to 2016 the commission was led by the Osnabrück historian Thomas Vogtherr. In 2010 the commission celebrated its 100th anniversary and published the first monograph on its own history on that occasion. Representatives from Bremen are not represented on the board or committee of the Historical Commission. Since 2016 the chairman has been Henning Steinführer, director of the Braunschweig city archive. The commission is organized as a registered association and is led by a four-member board. A committee of about 15 scholars advises and decides on the scholarly work of the commission and on proposals for the admission of new members. The general assembly elects the members of the board and committee and votes on the admission of new members. The commission's annual scholarly conferences are held together with the general assembly at annually changing locations in Lower Saxony and Bremen (e.g., 2005 Uelzen, 2006 Stade, 2007 Clausthal, 2008 Bremerhaven, 2009 Göttingen, 2010 Hannover, 2011 Helmstedt, 2012 Jever, 2013 Hannover, 2014 Wilhelmshaven, 2015 Hildesheim, 2016 Lüneburg, 2017 Oldenburg, 2018 Wolfenbüttel). The annual conferences are public. In addition to the annual conferences, the four working groups hold usually semi-annual, also public meetings. The commission's publishing program has been a constant since 1914, when it began issuing source editions, map works and monographs on the history of northwestern Germany. The subdivision of the publication series into numerous sub-series was abandoned in 1999, and a uniform numbering of the works as a single overall series was introduced instead. More than 320 works, some multi-volume, have appeared so far. The Niedersächsisches Jahrbuch für Landesgeschichte, published by the commission since 1924, is the leading annual regional-history periodical for the area of the present-day federal state of Lower Saxony and also serves the Historischer Verein für Niedersachsen as its publication organ. The commission also maintains online offerings including the digitized Niedersächsisches Jahrbuch für Landesgeschichte, a database of Welf seals, Lower Saxon city views, and online cabinet protocols. It awards a prize for Lower Saxon regional history and runs projects such as the Handbuch zur Geschichte Niedersachsens, charter editions, and the history of the Lower Saxon parliament and estates.

• 2016

  Henning Steinführer becomes chairman.

• 2010

  The commission celebrates its 100th anniversary and publishes the first monograph on its own history.

• 2006

  Thomas Vogtherr becomes chairman (until 2016).

• 1999

  The subdivision of the publication series into sub-series is abandoned; uniform numbering as a single overall series is introduced.

• 1998

  Ernst Schubert becomes chairman (until 2006), emphasizing parliamentary traditions.

• 1986

  Heinrich Schmidt becomes chairman (until 1998), promoting research on the Nazi period.

• 1973

  The commission becomes responsible 'for Niedersachsen und Bremen'.

• 1971

  Hans Patze becomes chairman (until 1986); work begins on a multi-volume history of Lower Saxony.

• 1947

  The commission resumes its work after the end of the war.

• 1938

  Georg Schnath takes over leadership of the commission, retaining it until 1971.

• 1933

  The Führer principle is imposed on the commission after the Nazi seizure of power.

• 1924

  First publication of the Niedersächsisches Jahrbuch für Landesgeschichte.

• 1914

  Begins publishing source editions, map works and monographs on the history of northwestern Germany.

• 1910

  Founded on the initiative of Göttingen historian Karl Brandi; he serves as chairman until 1938.

A scholarly association and publisher dedicated to advancing regional historical research in Lower Saxony and Bremen, operating as a registered non-profit organization supported by public bodies and private patrons.

• Niedersächsisches Jahrbuch für Landesgeschichte

  Annual scholarly periodical published by the commission since 1924; also serves the Historischer Verein für Niedersachsen as its publication organ.

• Veröffentlichungsreihe

  Publication series of source editions, map works and monographs on the history of northwestern Germany, issued since 1914; more than 320 works have appeared.

• Handbuch zur Geschichte Niedersachsens

  A handbook project on the history of Lower Saxony.

• Urkundeneditionen

  Editions of charters and documents.

• Niedersächsische Landtags- und Ständegeschichte

  Project on the history of the Lower Saxon parliament and estates, initiated by Ernst Schubert.

• Online-Angebote

  Online offerings including the digitized Niedersächsisches Jahrbuch für Landesgeschichte, the database of Welf seals, Lower Saxon city views, and online cabinet protocols.

1. 1Historische Kommission Niedersachsenhistorische-kommission.niedersachsen.de
2. 2Geschichte der Historischen Kommission | Historische Kommission Niedersachsenhistorische-kommission.niedersachsen.de
3. 3Veröffentlichungsreihe | Historische Kommission Niedersachsenhistorische-kommission.niedersachsen.de
4. 4Niedersächsisches Jahrbuch für Landesgeschichte | Historische Kommission Niedersachsenhistorische-kommission.niedersachsen.de
5. 5Historische Kommission für Niedersachsen und Bremende.wikipedia.org
6. 6Historische Kommission für Niedersachsen und Bremenwikidata.org