Over the decades, the predecessor institutes of the IOS received extensive legacies from scholars. Since the IOS does not maintain a scientific archive, it was decided, in 2017, to divest these materials and keep only the libraries left by the scholars. More specifically, in 2020, the papers of Otto Böss (1929—1994) and Hans Koch (1894—1959) from the holdings of the former Institute for East European Studies and the legacy of Carl Patsch (1865—1945) from the holdings of the Institute for Southeast European Studies (SOI) went to the Bavarian General State Archives in Munich; since 2018/19 the papers of Otto Hoetzsch (1876—1946) and the legacy of Hedwig Fleischhacker (1906—1978) and Hans Uebersberger (1877—1962) have been located in the archives of Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin. In as early as 2006, the SOI gave the “Coronensia” legacy of Friedrich Wilhelm Stenner (1851—1924) to the archive of the Honterusgemeinde in Brașov.
The following legacies are still located at the IOS:
Archive and library of Erik Amburger
In addition to a card index of individuals containing 100,000 entries, the historian and genealogist Erik Amburger (1907–2001) bequeathed almost 3,000 genealogies and an extensive library. Read more…
Library of Irene Grüning
Irene Grüning (1900—1955) was born in Saint Petersburg and emigrated to Berlin after the revolution in 1917, where she became a student of Otto Hoetzsch. After the Second World War, she became a teacher at the Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München (LMU Munich). Her library, acquired by the Institute for East European Studies (today the Leibniz Institute for East and Southeast European Studies, IOS) in 1956, consists of 500 volumes, mainly on Russian history.
Library of Gerasimos Kaklamanis
Gerasimos Kaklamanis (1940—2003) was born on the Ionian island of Lefkada in Greece but spent most of his life in France and Germany. He studied Mathematics, Philosophy, and History in Athens and Paris. Throughout his life, Kaklamanis worked as a freelance writer. His literary work consists of seven books in the Greek language. The book “I Anatoliki Mesogeios Os Europaiki Istoria” (Tomos 1) is regarded as his most important work.
The main objective of his academic and political work was to draw attention to the particular importance of the Mediterranean region as a bridge between Europe and the Middle East. Taking a critical and analytical approach, he scrutinized the region's interrelations and their consequences for global policies in the past, present, and future. Because he often opposed the prevailing political conditions in his home country, Kaklamanis, like many Greek intellectuals, spent most of his life abroad.
His writing activities also led him, over a period 40 years, to build up a private library of about 5,000 books, mostly on the subject of the Mediterranean region. The library has books in German (60 percent), Greek (30 percent), and French (10 percent).
Library of Hans Koch
Hans Koch (1894–1959) was the first director of the Institute for East European Studies (OEI) in Munich from 1952 to 1959. A historian and theologist from Lviv, Koch worked as a professor in Wroclaw and Königsberg. During the Second World War, he worked for the German authorities in Ukraine, the territory of which was fiercely fought over in campaigns characterized by genocide. His library, consisting of 1,400 volumes (including 1,000 books and 400 bundles of brochures on all the regions of Eastern and Southeast Europe) was acquired in 1960 by the OEI (today the IOS).
Library of Carl Patsch
Scholar Carl Patsch (1865—1945) initially worked in Sarajevo, where he established the Bosnian-Herzegovinian Institute of Balkan Studies in 1904. In 1921, he succeeded Konstantin Josef Jirečeks at the University of Vienna. His 1,400-volume library, acquired in 1956 by the SOI (today the IOS), mainly consists of literature on the regions of the Western part of the Balkan Peninsula.
Library of Franz von Scheiger
In 1962, the library of the SOI (today the IOS) acquired the 500-volume legacy of engineer and diplomat Franz von Scheiger (1891–1960). His collection focuses on the history of Albania and its neighbors. The collection also includes numismatic literature.
Library of Fritz Valjavec
Fritz Valjavec (1909—1960) worked at the SOI from 1935, serving as its director from 1955 until his death. He had a major impact not only on the history of the SOI but also on Southeast European Studies as a discipline. For instance, he established the Southeast Europe Association (SOG) and the journal Südost-Forschungen. During the Second World War, he worked for the intelligence service in Bukovina. His library (2,300 volumes) reflects the research focus of his scholarly life. It comprises literature on the history of the countries of the Habsburg Monarchy, focusing especially on German-speaking populations.