What Arolsen Archives does

Arolsen Archives, legally the International Tracing Service (ITS), is a German-headquartered international documentation center founded in 1948 (predecessor from 1946) and funded by the German Federal Foreign Office (Auswärtiges Amt). Its core product is the Online Archive at collections.arolsen-archives.org, which holds over 40 million digitized documents on victims and survivors of Nazi persecution — recognized as UNESCO World Documentary Heritage and governed by the Berlin Agreement of 2011 with Copyholder partner archives in Belgium, France, Luxembourg, Poland, the UK, Israel, and the USA. The organization operates a portfolio of free public-facing products: the e-Guide for navigation, the Arolsen School digital learning platform with interactive modules and minigames for schools, the #everynamecounts crowdsourcing initiative that has engaged hundreds of thousands of volunteers in digitizing victim records, the #StolenMemory traveling-exhibition initiative that returns personal belongings to families of concentration camp prisoners, the #lostwords initiative tracing families of executed individuals, and a personalized inquiry research service for cases the online archive cannot resolve. Technology consists of a digital archive infrastructure, online search platform, learning management system, crowdsourcing web application, and exhibition management systems, integrated with conventional web analytics, email, payments, and advertising vendors.

The business model is publicly funded and free at the point of use: services are provided without charge to survivors of Nazi persecution, relatives of victims, academic researchers, educators, journalists, and genealogists, with German federal appropriations covering staff, digitization, and infrastructure. A marginal donation stream processed through HelpDirect e.V. and PayPal supplements the core government funding. Customer segments are diverse and segmented horizontally: survivors and families (primary), academic researchers and historians (primary), educators and schools (primary), with journalists/media and private genealogists as secondary segments. Distribution is primarily digital and self-serve worldwide, supplemented by scheduled on-site research visits at the Bad Arolsen headquarters and traveling exhibitions. A new purpose-built archive building has been announced for 2026 construction, signaling continued institutional investment in physical and digital infrastructure for the UNESCO-protected collection.

Name

Arolsen Archives

Legal name

International Tracing Service (ITS)

Website

https://arolsen-archives.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1948

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Arolsen Archives is a German government-funded international documentation center that maintains the world's largest archive on Nazi persecution, offering free public access to over 40 million digitized documents, personalized research inquiries, and educational programs for survivors, descendants, researchers, and schools.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Historical Archival Services

NAICS

Libraries and Archives (51921), Libraries and Archives (519210), Museums (712110), Museums (71211), Web Search Portals and All Other Information Services (51929)

SIC

Miscellaneous Publishing (2741)

akta.pro primary industry

Libraries, Archives & Special Collections (BPAGAHAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Archives, Special Collections & Preservation Operations (Rare Materials, Conservation) (EDAEAGAJ), Records Digitization & Archiving (Legacy Files, Retention Support) (BPAAAKAG), Enterprise Search, Indexing & Content Discovery (HDAEAGAH)

Keywords

• Digital archival services
• Historical document preservation
• Holocaust education programs
• Crowdsourced digitization platform
• Genealogy research archives

Headquarters

HQ city

Arolsen

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Government Funding: The Federal Republic of Germany finances the operational work of Arolsen Archives, enabling free research services for survivors and relatives of Nazi persecution victims. This government funding covers staff, infrastructure, digitization projects, and educational programs.
2. Donations: Voluntary donations accepted through the organization's website, processed via HelpDirect e.V. partnership. Donations support specific initiatives and projects.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

Arolsen Archives operates the world's largest digital archive on victims and survivors of Nazi persecution, providing free public access to over 40 million digitized historical documents through its online archive platform. The organization supplements archival access with personalized research inquiry services for survivors and descendants, an interactive digital education platform (Arolsen School) for schools, and crowdsourcing initiatives such as #everynamecounts and #StolenMemory that engage volunteers in digitization and the return of personal belongings to families.

Product overview

Arolsen Archives operates as an international documentation center focused on Nazi persecution, offering a comprehensive digital archive ecosystem. The core product is the Online-Archiv (Online Archive) containing over 40 million digitized documents freely accessible worldwide. The portfolio includes Arolsen School, an educational platform with interactive digital learning modules and minigames for teaching about National Socialism; #everynamecounts, a crowdsourcing initiative enabling volunteers to digitize victim names and data; #StolenMemory, an exhibition initiative returning personal items to families of concentration camp prisoners; #lostwords, an initiative searching for families of executed individuals; and the e-Guide for navigation assistance. The Graphic Novel 'Wo ist Lotte?' provides educational storytelling about Nazi persecution victims. A paid inquiry service supplements the free online archive for complex research requests.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• #everynamecounts: A crowdsourcing initiative where volunteers help digitize names and data of Nazi persecution victims, creating the largest digital monument for victims and survivors of National Socialism.
• #StolenMemory
• #lostwords
• Arolsen School
• Arolsen Archives Online Archive

Products and services

• Online Archive (Online-Archiv) The primary searchable digital archive providing free global access to over 40 million digitized historical documents on Nazi persecution victims and survivors, including records on concentration camp prisoners, forced laborers, and displaced persons.
• Arolsen School Interactive digital learning platform offering modular educational resources, minigames, and teaching materials for schools and educators covering National Socialism, remembrance culture, and democratic education.
• #everynamecounts Crowdsourcing initiative where volunteers worldwide help digitize names and data of Nazi victims from original historical documents, building the largest digital monument for victims and survivors of National Socialism.
• #StolenMemory Initiative and exhibition that traces, identifies, and returns personal items belonging to concentration camp prisoners to their surviving family members, including a traveling exhibition component.
• #lostwords Initiative that searches for surviving family members of people executed in Munich Stadelheim prison, focusing on unarrived farewell letters and execution files.
• Graphic Novel 'Wo ist Lotte?' Educational graphic novel that tells the story of Lotte Sondheimer, a Jewish young woman born in 1907 in Gelnhausen who was persecuted and murdered by the National Socialists, combining historical research with artistic narrative and pedagogical practice.
• e-Guide Electronic orientation and navigation guide that helps users explore the archive's collections and understand the documentation on Nazi persecution.
• Research Inquiry Service Personalized research service for survivors of Nazi persecution and relatives of victims who are unable to find answers through online searches, with the Arolsen Archives team conducting individualized research on behalf of applicants (processing may take several months).

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 40 million documents digitized and accessible online
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration11 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• UNESCO-Projektschulen (UNESCO Project Schools)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGermany-wide cooperation bringing documents from Buchenwald concentration camp into classrooms. Over 300 UNESCO Project Schools in Germany participate in #everynamecounts educational initiatives, enabling students to learn about Nazi persecution while contributing to digital documentation. Initiative runs during designated project days with teacher accompaniment.
• Archives de l'État en Belgique (State Archives of Belgium)coreTechnology or IntegrationCopyholder partner organization in Belgium under the Berlin Agreement framework. Part of international network for data sharing and archival collaboration on Nazi persecution documentation.
• Archives Nationales (France)coreTechnology or IntegrationCopyholder partner in France under Berlin Agreement framework for international archival cooperation and data exchange on Nazi persecution victims.
• Centre de Documentation et de Recherche sur la Résistance (Luxembourg)coreTechnology or IntegrationLuxembourg's Copyholder partner organization in the Berlin Agreement network for shared archival access and collaboration.
• Instytut Pamięci Narodowej (IPN) - Institute of National Remembrance (Poland)coreTechnology or IntegrationPoland's national Copyholder partner for archival cooperation on Nazi persecution documentation under international agreement framework.
• The Wiener Library (London)coreTechnology or IntegrationUK-based partner archive and Copyholder organization providing access to Nazi persecution documents and Holocaust research materials.
• Yad Vashem (Jerusalem)coreTechnology or IntegrationIsrael's premier Holocaust memorial and archive, operating as Copyholder partner for international Nazi persecution documentation collaboration.
• US Holocaust Memorial Museum (USHMM) - WashingtoncoreTechnology or IntegrationMajor American partner museum and Copyholder organization facilitating international archival data exchange and research cooperation on Nazi persecution.
• HelpDirect e.V.minorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerPartner organization for donation processing, handling the technical and administrative aspects of processing charitable contributions to Arolsen Archives.
• Stiftung Gedenkstätten Buchenwald und Mittelbau-DoracoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on KZ Ohrdruf remembrance projects. Working together since 2022 with various institutions and initiatives to promote active remembrance culture using digital media and youth participation.
• CleverReach GmbH & Co. KGminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerNewsletter delivery service provider used for distributing email communications to subscribers about news, events, and archive updates.
• Bundeskoordination der UNESCO-Projektschulen (Federal Coordination of UNESCO Project Schools)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerCoordinates participation of 300+ German UNESCO Project Schools in #everynamecounts educational initiatives, supporting youth engagement with historical documentation.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• USC Shoah Foundation: Founded by Steven Spielberg, maintains the Visual History Archive with over 55,000 video testimonies of Holocaust and other genocide survivors. Comparable in archival scale, digital preservation approach, and educational impact, though using video testimony rather than documentary records.
• YIVO Institute for Jewish Research: New York-based archive and research institution for the study of Jewish life and the Holocaust in Eastern Europe. Comparable in archival depth on Jewish historical materials and Holocaust-era documentation.
• Yad Vashem: Israel's official Holocaust memorial and one of the world's premier archives and research institutions on the Holocaust. Directly comparable in mission, scale, and educational mandate, and is itself a Copyholder partner of Arolsen Archives under the Berlin Agreement.
• Simon Wiesenthal Center: International Jewish human rights organization with significant Holocaust research, documentation, and education programs. Comparable in mission to preserve Holocaust memory and combat antisemitism through archives and outreach.
• Mémorial de la Shoah: Paris-based Holocaust memorial, archive, and research center serving France's survivor community and broader public. Comparable in scope covering archival preservation, educational programming, and survivor family services.
• Wiener Holocaust Library: The UK's Holocaust archive, research, and education institution, founded in 1933. A Copyholder partner of Arolsen Archives with comparable archival, research, and educational mandates focused on Nazi persecution documentation.
• Anne Frank House: Amsterdam-based museum and archive dedicated to Anne Frank's life and the broader Holocaust. Comparable in combining archival preservation, museum exhibitions, and educational outreach focused on Nazi persecution.
• United States Holocaust Memorial Museum (USHMM): America's national memorial to the Holocaust, housing extensive archives, exhibits, and educational programming. A Copyholder partner of Arolsen Archives with a comparable mix of archival preservation, research, and survivor-family services.

Broad incumbents

• International Committee of the Red Cross (Archives): Maintains extensive archives on international humanitarian conflict, including WWII detention and displacement records. Comparable in operating government-funded international archives with humanitarian heritage preservation mission.
• Bundesarchiv (German Federal Archives): Germany's national archive holding federal government records including Nazi-era documents. Comparable as a German archive dealing with NS-era materials, but with a broader governmental records mandate rather than victim-survivor focus.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@geschichteistjetzt/videos
• Facebookfacebook.com/arolsenarchives
• Instagraminstagram.com/arolsenarchives
• TikToktiktok.com/@arolsenarchives
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/arolsen-archives

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Arolsen Archives