DocQuest

DocQuest is your hub to access different archival collections related to provenance research. The search engine brings together key collections and sources relevant to provenance research. These were gathered and processed as part of an NFDI4Memory-funded project and are now being made accessible by the Coordination Office for Provenance Research in NRW (Koordinationsstelle für Provenienzforschung in Nordrhein-Westfalen, KPF.NRW) as part of its (newly founded in 2025) digital knowledge and research infrastructure.

The Index of Archival Collections

The following archival collections are available via the search engine:

• Bundesarchiv B323, Treuhandverwaltung von Kulturgut bei der Oberfinanzdirektion München (Management of Cultural Property of the State Finance Office in Munich 1937-1962)
• Bundesarchiv NS8, Kanzlei Rosenberg (Alfred Rosenberg Papers 1893-1946)
• Bundesarchiv NS30, Einsatzstab Reichsleiter Rosenberg (ERR, Taskforce Reichsleiter Rosenberg 1918-1945)
• Bundesarchiv R55, Reichsministerium für Volksaufklärung und Propaganda (RMVP, Reich Ministry for Public Enlightenment and Propaganda 1920-1945)
• Bundesarchiv B401, Bundesamt für Äußere Restitution (Federal Office for Foreign Restitution)
• Stadtarchiv Düsseldorf, Angebots- und Ankaufsakten (Sales and Acquisition Records in the City Archive of Düsseldorf)

Further archival collections coming up next:

• Landesarchiv NRW, Abteilung Rheinland, Entnazifizierungsakten (Denazification Files of the Rhineland)

The most important archival collection of the Federal Archives B323 has been indexed entirely.
From the other archival collections relevant subcollections have been identified und indexed, this means that your search is limited to these selected files. Recent subcollections can be researched here. [LINK zu den indizierten Akten der Suchmaschine]

Meta Search on Page Level

http://archives.ffltr.de/nfdi-archives/

We have created a Meta Search Engine based on OCR, which allows users to focus on written details within the document through using Image Viewer Display. This means that your search results are specified on the page level, and you will get directly to the desired search result (based on searches conducted using Keywords and Operators, defined below). The user's findings are located within the context of the archival collection, showing both the pages following before and after the users result, meaning that further informational context can be obtained by browsing the adjacent pages. Moreover information about the file signature will be located in the "About this item" box (indicated by the "i" in a circle, in the side panel above left).

More detailed instructions on Search Options can be found here.

Specialised Search Entries

Bundesarchiv Search on Collection Level

http://archives.ffltr.de/barch-search/

The Records of the Federal Archives (Bundesarchiv) are comprised of very different authorities and historical contexts, therefore we have built separate search entry pages for the different datasets held within the Archival Collections, as defined above. This search therefore is based on the Metadata provided by the archive, this will allow for the ability to conduct research in the level of the subcollections of the records.

Düsseldorfer Angebots- und Ankaufsakten (Sales and Acquisition Records in the City Archive of Düsseldorf)

http://archives.ffltr.de/ankaufsakten/

The Sales and Acquisition Records from the Museums of the City of Düsseldorf, have been differently processed as part of the NFDI4Memory project. Their OCR fulltext is included in the above-mentioned Meta Search Engine, moreover by utilising AI-tools we are able to generate summaries of the information held within the OCR text. Resulting in a higher quality and volume of the data represented in the document, allowing the user to discover different depths to the content of the archival records (for example the details on transactions, the roles of individual actors and specific events) and therefore the different types of information kept within them.

Please note: AI-generated content is machine work. It always needs a human to double-check and verify the search results.

The Central Collecting Point (CCP) Wiesbaden - Property Cards

http://archives.ffltr.de/ccp-cards/

The Card Files from the CCP Wiesbaden are a challenge for OCR processing, since their contents are structured in drawn out multiple rows and columns rather than OCR approved line by line analysis. The Card files are much better represented in the digitalisation processes through using structured data. Meaning that the information found by a user search, accurately reflects its representation in the original file.

Please note: AI-generated content is machine work. It always needs a human to double-check and verify the search results.

Funding: The NFDI4Memory Incubator Funds