We acknowledge the sensitive nature and cultural importance to the Roma and Sinti community in Germany of the Hanns Weltzel archive, currently held by the University of Liverpool. We acknowledge the suffering caused to the community that these archive materials are witness to, and the continuing distress felt by the descendants of the individuals depicted in Hanns Weltzel photographs, and referenced in the archive materials.
As part of our ongoing discussions with the families of subjects depicted in Hanns Weltzel photographs and referenced in the archive materials collected by Hanns Weltzel within the Georg Althaus Archive and the Gypsy Lore Society Archive, we undertake to fulfil our stewardship responsibilities in consultation with the families.
We undertake to close for a period of 30 years from the date of this agreement the Hanns Weltzel archive, being the photographs taken, and archive materials collected by Weltzel relating to Roma and Sinti families in Germany, in whatever medium they are now held. These photographs and archive materials will be closed to access to all users. If a legitimate request is made by an authorised representative of a family depicted in the photographs or referenced in the archive materials, we are willing to provide high resolution digital copies to the families’ representative(s) in the form of an external hard drive, or other agreed medium.
In cases where material from the Hanns Weltzel archive has previously been published, no further permission will be granted for relicensing the publications concerned. At the end of the 30-year period, this agreement will be revisited with the family members or their authorised representatives. During the period of closure, we will make our best endeavours to reach an agreement for future stewardship of the Hanns Weltzel photographs and archive materials in their entirety by transferring them to a recognised archive repository in Germany which is governed in accordance with national best practice. The intention is to identify a repository accepted by the Roma and Sinti community as a suitable repository to provide ongoing stewardship that fully recognises the cultural context of the material and recognises and acts upon the voice and concerns of the community.
March 2024
