The Sound Archives of the Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin consist of an acoustic collection of around 7,500 shellac records, wax cylinders and tapes. They are mainly voice recordings of public figures in the German Empire and the Weimar Republic and document, inter alia in sensitive recordings made in WWI and WWII prisoner of war camps, a large number of languages and dialects. The Sound Archives are among the earliest of their kind in Europe and are characterized by a focus on phonetic and linguistic interests.

Inquiries and Opening Hours

Due to the current situation to contain the spread of the corona virus, the sound archive will remain closed indefinitely.

Please bear in mind that processing your inquiries can take up to two weeks.

Important announcement

We are pleased to announce that Dr. Christopher Li started as collection manager in december 2020.

Exhibitions, Publications, Activities

Changing projects presented here took shape in connection or in collaboration with the Sound Archives.