Hamburg is home to a unique Cluster of Excellence dedicated to studying written artefacts, the world-leading DESY synchrotron research centre, and a rich landscape of archives, museums and libraries. Our aim is to harness this remarkable pool of expertise to significantly advance analytical methods for studying cultural heritage, initiate innovative projects to deepen our understanding of Hamburg’s written collections and showcase them through various outreach and knowledge exchange formats. To this end, we are part of two local networks that facilitate dialogue across institutions:

PIER is the formal strategic partnership between DESY and the University of Hamburg, designed to strengthen and promote their collaborative work in innovation, education, and research.

HALM is a local network coordinated by the CSMC, bringing together Hamburg’s archives, libraries, and museums to collaborate on the research and safeguarding of written collections. It serves as a forum for developing joint projects, exhibitions, training and other knowledge-exchange formats around Hamburg’s written artefacts.