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Federal Archives Maintains Hand Reconstruction of Shredded Stasi Files

A new activity report cites high demand, limited staff, no budgeted funding for a fresh virtual pilot.

Overview

  • The Bundesarchiv says there is still no technical solution for making torn Stasi records readable, so manual reassembly continues.
  • A virtual reconstruction project launched in 2007 was halted in 2023 after being deemed unsuitable for mass processing.
  • To date, 1.73 million sheets from 600 containers have been reconstructed by about ten specialists, with roughly 15,400 containers of fragments still stored.
  • Public interest remains strong with about 34,000 requests in 2022, 37,600 in 2023 and nearly 30,000 in 2024, totaling roughly 3.5 million since 1991 and leaving about 17,000 unresolved.
  • The report was presented in Berlin by Culture State Minister Wolfram Weimer and Bundesarchiv leaders to Bundestag President Julia Klöckner, as President Michael Hollmann warned resources are falling short and the archive pursues digitization and AI-based text capture.