Service & Research
The Wintershall Dea Corporate Archive housed various files, photos, films and books on the German oil and gas industry from the late 19th century until today. Now, as part of the company’s dissolution, they will be handed over to museums and archives.
Research into the company history of Wintershall Dea
Responsibility and transparency: During guided tours artifacts from the company's history are shown, including those from the period of National Socialism.
After more than 130 years, Wintershall Dea is writing the final chapter of its company history. But unlike the company, the historical documents that tell this story will not disappear. Wintershall Dea GmbH handed over its extensive corporate archive to the Hessian Economic Archive in Darmstadt and other archives and museums at the start of 2025.
The Corporate Archive documents the more than 130 years of company history of Wintershall Dea and its predecessor companies. The focus is on the history of the two predecessor companies Wintershall Holding GmbH and DEA Deutsche Erdoel AG, which merged in 2019, from the end of the 19th century to the present day. The archive collection also includes documents from acquired companies, associated enterprises and subsidiaries in Germany and abroad.
“As a company, we bear responsibility: we have shaped the history of the natural gas and oil industry in Germany for over 130 years. Although Wintershall Dea’s company history will end in the foreseeable future, the responsibility remains. That is why we want to ensure that the historical documents are passed on to archives and museums and thus permanently preserved for posterity,” says Stefan Schnell, Chairman of the Management Board of Wintershall Dea.
The Hessian Economic Archive (“Hessisches Wirtschaftsarchiv”, HWA) in Darmstadt will in future be the central point of contact for questions about Wintershall Dea’s company history. The main collection of Wintershall Dea’s Corporate Archive comprises around 200 shelf metres of historical documents, including minutes, annual reports, employee magazines, publications, as well as photos and films. Special documents such as the oldest known Wintershall document from 1894, DEA’s very first ledger from 1899 and a letter of thanks with the original signatures of the trapped miners to the DEA drillmaster and head of the rescue shaft during the “Miracle of Lengede” from 1963 are also part of the company archive.
This is where the historical documents and objects of Wintershall Dea can be found in the future
The various archive records will be transferred to the following archives and museums:
- Hessian Economic Archive in Darmstadt
The Hessian Economic Archive (HWA) in Darmstadt becomes the central source of information for the company history of Wintershall Dea. In future, the Corporate Archive will be labelled ‘Bestand 256, Winterhall Dea’.
The Hessian Economic Archive (HWA) is a non-profit organisation of all Hessian chambers of industry and commerce and the Frankfurt-Rhine-Main Chamber of Skilled Crafts. Documents from numerous companies, associations and organisations in the local economy are already professionally stored in the HWA's magazines and made visible to the public via the online research tool ‘Arcinsys’. This makes the HWA probably the most important source of knowledge on the economic and business history of Hesse.
Adjunct Professor Ingo Köhler serves as head of the archive since 2021. He was one of the three authors of the research project “Expansion at All Costs” on Wintershall in the Nazi period and is very well acquainted with the history of Wintershall.
Further information on the HWA: Hessisches Wirtschaftsarchiv - Wir im HWA (Hessian Economic Archive - We at the HWA)
- German Petroleum Museum in Wietze
The technical images will go to the German Petroleum Museum in Wietze, in the district of Celle. It has extensive expertise in oil exploration and production as well as the entire industry. The museum will also receive several large models of platforms and other exhibits. It will also take over part of the historical library collection.
Further information on the German Petroleum Museum in Wietze: Deutsches Erdölmuseum Wietze (German Petroleum Museum Wietze)
- Kassel City Archive
Historical pictures of the company headquarters in Kassel, dating from the construction phase to the present day, were handed over to the Kassel city archives. These photographs will provide a new source of information on the development of the Vorderer Westen district.
Further information on the Kassel City Archive: Stadtarchiv | Stadt Kassel
- Rhenish-Westphalian Economic Archive Foundation in Cologne
The documents of the former DEMINEX (Deutsche Mineralöl-Explorationsgesellschaft mbH), in which Wintershall and DEA were involved, can now be found in the Rhenish-Westphalian Economic Archive Foundation in Cologne. This archive already houses the documents from the DEMINEX headquarters in Essen, which was dissolved in 1998. That means that researchers can now view all relevant documents from those involved in the history of this joint venture in the German mineral oil industry for the exploration and production of crude oil abroad in one place.
Further information on the Rhenish-Westphalian Economic Archive: RWWA
- Hanseatic Business Archive Foundation
Duplicates of employee magazines of the former Hamburg-based DEA were passed on to the Hanseatic Business Archive Foundation.
Further information on the Hanseatic Business Archive Foundation: Über uns - Handelskammer Hamburg (About Us - Hamburg Chamber of Commerce and Industry)
- German Museum of Technology Berlin
Historical journals from the petroleum industry were handed over to the library of the German Museum of Technology Berlin.
Further information on the German Museum of Technology Berlin: Stiftung Deutsches Technikmuseum Berlin (Foundation German Museum of Technology Berlin)
Once the Corporate Archive has been handed over to the archives and museums, the historical documents in the respective institutions are expected to be accessible to researchers and interested parties from summer 2025.
