Historical Society of the Palatinate e.V

Founded in 1827

Already long before our museum existed, citizens interested in the culture of the Palatinate researched its history and collected objects from the past. More than 180 years ago, the Historical Society of the Palatinate was founded. From 1869 until 1985, it was the sole operator of the Historical Museum of the Palatinate. Since then, the mission of the organization has been to awaken interest in the history of the Palatinate across a wide spectrum, advance scientific research on its past, and identify and maintain its memorials.

Collection, Preservation and Research

Outstanding objects like the Golden Hat of Schifferstadt, the Roman centaur head, and exhibits from the time of the Salians, the Imperial High Court, the French Revolution and the two World Wars had been in the sole possession of the Historical Society of the Palatinate e.V. in Speyer. Since its start and especially in the period between 1869 and 1914, the Society engaged in lots of collection activity. These objects, including books and associated documents, have been integrated into the collections of the Historical Museum of the Palatinate and even today, constitute about 75% of the holdings, clearly the backbone of the Museum’s collection.

From Society to Foundation

In 1985, the Historical Society decided, in concert with the Regional District of the Palatinate, the Rhineland-Palatinate government, the city of Speyer, the Bishopric of Speyer and the Evangelical Church of the Palatinate to form the Historical Museum of the Palatinate Foundation. In 1999, the Society also established its own foundation, whose proceeds are to be applied to the assistance of the Museum. 

A further focal point of the Society’s activities is the publication of a yearbook, “News from the Historical Museum of the Palatinate”, of which over 100 volumes have already appeared. The Society also bears the preponderance of the costs for the semiannual “Palatine Homeland”, published by the Palatine Society for the Advancement of the Sciences. The Historical Society also conducts an annual seminar whose proceedings appear in printed form.

Members

The almost 3,000 members of the Historical Society are distributed across the Palatinate and neighboring regions and are organized for the most part into 14 district-, local- and county-groups, which for their part conduct seminars, lectures and excursions. The main office for all these groups has traditionally been located at the Historical Museum of the Palatinate.