A digital memory of people with over 12,000 exhibits.
With his Topotheque, Helmut Reitbauer has created an extraordinary digital archive. Over 12,000 historical photographs of people have now been collected, digitised and made publicly accessible. What is often lost in private boxes, estates or attics is permanently preserved here. Most of the photographs of people do not have any information attached to them. However, the photographer and the location are often known. In conjunction with a time estimate, this considerably increases the chances of finding ancestors.
In order to make the enormous amount of images clearly usable, the photographs are sorted alphabetically into thematic folders according to photographer collections, divided into domestic and foreign. They are also sorted by family name or by uniform type, documents or special clothing, etc.
This thematic structure not only facilitates the search, but also invites targeted historical discovery. The special value of this archive lies not only in the identity of the people depicted. Clothing, hairstyles, beards, postures and accessories provide fascinating insights into social norms, living conditions and fashions of bygone times. Each photo tells more than a personal story – it documents social reality.
Visitors will find a wealth of information about individuals (searchable by keyword) and families (groups of individuals) organised into thematic structures. The list of names is expanded from time to time and is available for download, as are the lists of photographers and locations.
Digital archives such as this Topotheque are invaluable for local and family history research, historical scholarship and collective memory.
https://findbox-reitbauer.topothek.at/