Archives littéraires de Marbach (DLA)

The German Literature Archive (Deutsches Literaturarchiv – DLA) is one of the most significant literary institutions in the world. Its collections bring together and preserve an abundance of valuable sources of literary and intellectual history from 1750 to the present day. Since its establishment in 1955, it has served literature, education and research. The collections are open to everyone who is conducting source criticism.

With around 1,400 papers and collections of authors and scholars, archives of literary publishers and over 300,000 images and objects, the archive is one of the leading institutions of its kind. The library is the largest special collection of modern German literature and includes about one million volumes, alongside the collected libraries of more than 160 authors and collectors.

The DLA, in cooperation with other institutions and universities, carries out interdisciplinary and international research projects with the support of external funds.

The exhibitions in the museums of the DLA, the Schiller National Museum and the Museum of Modern Literature, display the manuscripts, books, images and objects of the German Literature Archive. The museums, literary and scholarly events, as well as a variety of publications address current questions and issues in literature and scholarship and make the unique archive holdings accessible to a large audience. Additionally, the Collegienhaus for researching guests, authors and recipients of stipends makes international exchanges possible.