Jahrbuch für Münchener Geschichte (Yearbook of Munich History)
The Jahrbuch für Münchener Geschichte (Yearbook of Munich History), published by Karl von Reinhardstöttner (1847-1909) and Karl Trautmann (1857-1936), was primarily dedicated to the "cultural history" of Munich. The five volumes of the short-lived organ are still a treasure trove for the history of art, literature, education and science in the Bavarian capital.
Place and duration of publication, publisher
The Jahrbuch für Münchener Geschichte was first published in 1887. Four more volumes followed until 1894. The short-lived publication series was founded by Karl von Reinhardstöttner (1847-1909) and Karl Trautmann (1857-1936). It was first published by Lindauersche Buchhandlung (volumes 1 and 2), then by Verlag C. C. Buchner, Bamberg (volumes 3-5). Reinhardstöttner was a professor at the Technical University in Munich and Trautmann was a royal court counsellor and teacher in Munich.
Content and meaning
In the late 19th century, there was still no publication series in Munich in which essays specifically on the city's history could be published. The Historische Verein von Oberbayern (Historical Society of Upper Bavaria) began publishing the "Oberbayerische Archiv für vaterländische Geschichte" (Upper Bavarian Archive for Patriotic History) in 1839. Articles on the history of the region were also published there as part of the regional historical focus. In Nuremberg, on the other hand, the Mitteilungen des Vereins für Geschichte der Stadt Nürnberg (Communications of the Association for the History of the City of Nuremberg) (1st volume 1879) were published by the Verein für Geschichte der Stadt Nürnberg (Association for the History of the City of Nuremberg), which had been in existence since 1878. Reinhardstöttner and Trautmann wanted to counteract this "lack of academic research" on Munich's cultural history with the Yearbook of Munich History.
The Jahrbuch für Münchener Geschichte published articles that processed materials from Munich archives and libraries in order to make them accessible to local researchers. These scientific findings should also be presented in a popular form that is accessible to a wide audience. The section "Neue Mitteilungen" (new communications) contained source editions of files, letters, invoices, etc., which could not be prepared "literarily".
The focus of the yearbook was not only on the history of Munich. The essays were also intended to deal with the history of abbeys, monasteries and castles in the area surrounding Munich, as well as the towns that had links with Munich. In addition, essays should be devoted to the presentation of the Munich court's relations with other European cultural nations (especially France, Italy and Spain). These goals were achieved by printing travelogues, among other things.
The articles in the Jahrbuch für Münchener Geschichte cover topics ranging from the history of everyday life and mentalities, to church, art, literature, music, theatre, and economic history. Political issues are intended to be addressed only as part of a cultural studies discussion.
Author: Andreas Dahlem