MARCHIVUM

What MARCHIVUM does

MARCHIVUM is Mannheim's municipal archive and House of City History and Remembrance (Mannheims Archiv, Haus der Stadtgeschichte und Erinnerung), operating as a department (Fachbereich) of the City of Mannheim, a public law corporation (Körperschaft des öffentlichen Rechts). Established under its current name in 2017 after the relocation of the former Stadtarchiv Mannheim to the Neckarstadt-West district, the institution combines traditional archival functions with public-facing museum, exhibition, and educational operations. Its portfolio includes the 500+ square-metre permanent exhibition "Typisch Mannheim!" covering 400 years of city history from 1606/07 to the present, the NS Documentation Centre, the HOUSE OF MAEMORIES documenting nearly 70 years of U.S. Army presence in Mannheim (1945-2015), and the KZ-Gedenkstätte Sandhofen memorial to a subcamp of Natzweiler concentration camp.

The institution operates digital infrastructure including a virtual reading room (Virtueller Lesesaal, hosted on marchivum.startext.de), a digital printed-materials archive (Druckschriften Digital), a timeline database (Chronikstar, 1606-present), and an M2D2 mediation robot deployed in the Typisch Mannheim! exhibition for visitor guidance. Core technology uses Matomo for web analytics and integrates with CleverReach for newsletter distribution and PayPal/SEPA/card processing for the online shop. Its archive holdings include official records, photographs, films, maps, personal papers, and a library of historical periodicals such as the Neues Mannheimer Volksblatt (1888-1937).

MARCHIVUM's business model is predominantly public-sector funded through the City of Mannheim's municipal budget, supplemented by transactional revenue from guided tours (€2.50/person public tours, €80 private group tours, €30 school class tours), admission fees, an online shop operated by the Freundeskreis MARCHIVUM e.V. supporters' association (publications €3-€79, posters €5-€15, postcards from €2, gift vouchers €10-€30), reproduction and image-request fees, and membership/donations from Freundeskreis MARCHIVUM e.V. and MAB (Mannheimer Architektur- und Bauarchiv) supporters. Its customers include local residents, K-12 school groups, tourists, academic researchers, genealogists, and private organisations booking tours or events, with tour bookings channelled through the Abendakademie Mannheim partnership.

Name

MARCHIVUM

Legal name

MARCHIVUM - Mannheims Archiv, Haus der Stadtgeschichte und Erinnerung

Website

https://marchivum.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

MARCHIVUM is Mannheim's municipal archive and House of City History and Remembrance, operating as a department of the City of Mannheim. It preserves 400+ years of city records, runs permanent and memorial exhibitions, and serves the general public, schools, researchers, and tourists through guided tours, digital research portals, and educational programs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Municipal Archive and Cultural Heritage Services

NAICS

Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions (712), Libraries and Archives (51921)

akta.pro primary industry

National Archives, Records & Information Governance (BPAIAAAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Natural History Museums (THAJADAC), Libraries, Archives & Special Collections (BPAGAHAF), Archives, Special Collections & Preservation Operations (Rare Materials, Conservation) (EDAEAGAJ)

Keywords

• Municipal archive services
• City history exhibitions
• Archival research access
• Educational workshops
• Remembrance culture

Headquarters

HQ city

Mannheim

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Admission and Tour Fees: Revenue from exhibition admission fees and guided tour fees. Public guided tours cost €2.50 per person plus admission; private group tours cost €80 plus admission.
2. Online Shop Sales: Sale of publications (books, DVDs), posters, postcards, city maps, merchandise (mugs, bags, pencils, rulers), and gift vouchers through the online shop operated by Freundeskreis MARCHIVUM e.V.
3. Public Funding and Municipal Budget: As a municipal department of the City of Mannheim (Körperschaft des öffentlichen Rechts), MARCHIVUM receives government funding for operations, preservation, and programming.
4. Reproduction Services: Fees for image reproductions and document copies from the archive's collections, available upon request.
5. Membership and Donations: Revenue from the Freundeskreis MARCHIVUM e.V. supporters' association and MAB (Mannheimer Architektur- und Bauarchiv) Fördervereine membership fees, with members receiving discounted shop prices.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

MARCHIVUM is Mannheim's municipal archive and House of City History and Remembrance, operating permanent and special exhibitions on 400+ years of city history, NS documentation, and American military presence (1945-2015). It provides public access to archival collections via a virtual reading room and digital newspapers, delivers guided tours and school workshops, and runs an online shop selling publications and merchandise.

Product overview

MARCHIVUM is Mannheim's city archive and House of City History and Remembrance. The institution operates as a cultural and educational centre with a portfolio of core exhibitions and services. The flagship permanent exhibition is "Typisch Mannheim!" covering 400 years of city history across 500+ square metres with multimedia and interactive elements, complemented by the NS Documentation Centre addressing National Socialist history and the HOUSE OF MAEMORIES documenting U.S. Army presence (1945-2015). The KZ-Gedenkstätte Sandhofen memorial commemorates concentration camp victims. Digital offerings include the Virtueller Lesesaal (virtual reading room) for online archival research, Druckschriften Digital for historical newspaper collections, and Chronikstar for timeline-based historical research. Visitor engagement is enhanced through the M2D2 robot guide, Mediaguide with accessibility features, and Digital Rallyes. An online shop operated by the supporting association sells publications, posters, and historical items. Educational programs encompass workshops, school tours, and holiday activities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Typisch Mannheim! (Typically Mannheim!) - Permanent City History Exhibition The primary permanent exhibition covering 400 years of Mannheim's history across more than 500 square metres, using innovative multimedia and interactive presentations to trace the city's development from its founding in 1606/07 to the present day. Open to general public, school groups, and families.
• MAEMORIES - American History(ies) in Mannheim Exhibition Permanent exhibition documenting nearly 70 years of U.S. Army presence in Mannheim (1945-2015), located at the HOUSE OF MAEMORIES. Features photographs, films, documents, and objects, including an interactive model of Franklin and a gallery wall with finds from former barracks.
• KZ-Gedenkstätte Sandhofen (Sandhofen Concentration Camp Memorial) Memorial site commemorating a subcamp of the Natzweiler concentration camp that existed from September 1944 to March 1945. The exhibition documents the history of the subcamp, the Warsaw Uprising, and commemorates the victims, particularly the approximately 1,070 Polish prisoners forced to labour for Daimler-Benz.
• Virtueller Lesesaal (Virtual Reading Room) Online research platform for accessing archival collections, digital documents, and historical records held by MARCHIVUM. Available to researchers and historians for remote archival research.
• Druckschriften Digital Digital collection of printed materials including historical newspapers, providing online access to digitised periodicals such as the Neues Mannheimer Volksblatt (1888-1937).
• Chronikstar Timeline Database Timeline database enabling research of Mannheim's historical events and city history from 1606 to the present day, accessible through the research section.
• Guided Tours Various guided tour offerings including public tours (Sundays at 3pm for city history, 4pm for NS history at €2.50/person), private group tours (€80 for one-hour tours for up to 15 persons), special focus tours on women's history, school class tours, and archive building tours. Available in German and English.
• Online Shop E-commerce platform operated by Freundeskreis MARCHIVUM e.V. selling publications, DVDs, posters, postcards, city maps, historical newspapers, merchandise (mugs, bags, pencils, rulers), and gift vouchers related to Mannheim's history. Offers PayPal, SEPA direct debit, and credit/debit card payment options with shipping within Germany.
• Educational Programs and Workshops (Bildungsangebote) Educational offerings including workshops for primary and secondary schools, family programs, holiday programs (Easter, Whitsun, summer, autumn), and educational materials for classroom use.
• Reproduction and Document Copy Services (Bildanfragen / Digitalisierung) Fees for image reproductions, document copies, and digitalization services from the archive's collections, available to researchers, journalists, and the general public upon request.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 500 square metres of exhibition space providing immersive city history experiences
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• MWSP (Mannheimer Wohnungsbaugesellschaft)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMWSP (Mannheimer Wohnungsbaugesellschaft) collaborated with MARCHIVUM to create the MAEMORIES exhibition documenting American history in Mannheim. MWSP commissioned and co-funded the exhibition on the US Army presence in Mannheim from 1945-2015, housed at the HOUSE OF MAEMORIES in the Franklin district.
• Baden-Württemberg FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Baden-Württemberg Foundation (Baden-Württemberg Stiftung) provided funding for the MAEMORIES exhibition project, supporting the documentation and exhibition of American history in Mannheim.
• KZ-Gedenkstätte Sandhofen e.V.coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe KZ-Gedenkstätte Sandhofen e.V. association operates the Sandhofen concentration camp memorial in cooperation with MARCHIVUM. MARCHIVUM provides organisational and scientific supervision of the memorial site, which commemorates a subcamp of Natzweiler concentration camp.
• Stadtjugendring Mannheim e.V.minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerStadtjugendring Mannheim (Youth Ring) cooperates with MARCHIVUM in supporting the Sandhofen concentration camp memorial, contributing to youth education and remembrance work.
• Abendakademie MannheimcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorThe Mannheim Evening Academy serves as the booking partner for MARCHIVUM's guided tours, including school tours, private group tours, and special focus tours. They handle reservations and customer service for tour bookings.
• Zentrum für Schulqualität und Lehrerbildung (ZSL)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerZSL (Center for School Quality and Teacher Training) is a Bildungskooperation (educational cooperation) partner, collaborating on educational programs for schools aligned with curriculum standards.
• Romno KherminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRomno Kher (Association of German Sinti and Roma) collaborated with MARCHIVUM on events such as the panel discussion on 40 years of civil rights work by the Sinti and Roma association, held at the Friedrich-Walter-Saal.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Historisches Museum Frankfurt: Frankfurt's city history museum combining permanent collections, special exhibitions, and educational programming. Comparable municipal cultural institution with similar audience mix of residents, schools, and tourists.
• Stadtmuseum Berlin (Stiftung Stadtmuseum Berlin): Berlin's city museum combining historical collections, exhibitions on city history, and educational programming in a comparable institutional model. Operates as both museum and archive with a similar scope to MARCHIVUM's combined archive and museum mandate.
• Stadtarchiv Köln (Historisches Archiv der Stadt Köln): Direct peer as a large German municipal city archive providing research access, historical exhibitions, and educational programs. Comparable statutory authority and operational mandate to MARCHIVUM within a major German city.
• NS-Dokumentationszentrum München: Direct peer operating as a municipal documentation centre on National Socialist history, combining permanent and special exhibitions, educational programs, and remembrance culture functions. Closely aligned mission and operational structure to MARCHIVUM's NS-Dokumentationszentrum and KZ-Gedenkstätte Sandhofen.
• Topographie des Terrors Berlin: Berlin memorial and documentation centre on National Socialist crimes, operating permanent and special exhibitions with educational programs. Direct comparable to MARCHIVUM's NS-Dokumentationszentrum and KZ-Gedenkstätte Sandhofen in scale, mission, and audience.
• Stadtarchiv München (Munich City Archives): Direct peer as a major German municipal city archive with statutory authority, research services, and educational programming. Operates a similar institutional model with comparable responsibility for official records and historical collections spanning centuries.

Broad incumbents

• Deutsches Historisches Museum (DHM): Germany's national history museum, operating at a much larger scale with permanent exhibitions, special exhibitions, and educational programming on German history. Functions as a broad incumbent setting standards for historical exhibition design and education that MARCHIVUM operates within.
• Landesarchiv Baden-Württemberg: State-level archive operating across Baden-Württemberg, providing regulatory oversight and support to MARCHIVUM under the Landesarchivgesetz. Functions as a broader incumbent in the same archival/records governance space within MARCHIVUM's home state.
• Haus der Geschichte der Bundesrepublik Deutschland: Federal foundation operating a major contemporary history museum in Bonn with temporary exhibitions, educational programs, and digital offerings. Comparable model of publicly funded historical exhibition programming at a national scale.

Regional players

• Reiss-Engelhorn-Museen Mannheim: Local peer operating major museums in Mannheim with archaeology, world cultures, and photography collections. Operates in the same city as MARCHIVUM with overlapping cultural tourism audiences but differentiated subject focus.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@marchivummannheim5512
• Facebookfacebook.com/Marchivum-168701373143130
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/marchivum
• Instagraminstagram.com/marchivum

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

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 MARCHIVUM