Leopold Kohr© Archive

University of Salzburg

Salzburg | Website

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Short Description

Leopold Kohr (1909-1994) was a philosopher, political scientist, lawyer and economist born in Oberndorf near Salzburg who emigrated to the USA in 1938. He became known worldwide for his advocacy of small units in the political, social, economic and cultural spheres. In the course of preparations for the great Celtic exhibition in Hallein in 1980, the cultural manager and state employee Alfred Winter met Leopold Kohr. He made him and his ideas known in his native Austria and throughout the German-speaking world.

After Kohr's death in 1998, the estate began to be organized according to source genres. It contains printed texts by Kohr, handwritten and machine-written texts by Kohr, book manuscripts and lecture notes, handwritten notes, newspaper articles by and about Kohr, announcements and reviews of Kohr's books, letters and correspondence, letters to the editor by Kohr as well as material collected by Kohr (including newspaper articles, scientific texts). Special collections deal with topics such as Anguilla, the Waldheim affair or the One-World-Project. In addition, realia such as certificates of honour, photographs, sketches and audiovisual sources are also collected.

The central holdings are inventoried, indexed and electronically accessible via a locally available Microsoft Access database: previously published articles (signature AK), manuscripts (MK), typoscripts (TK), newspaper articles (ZK) and the correspondence of Leopold Kohr as a currently still handwritten list. Kohr's newspaper articles are in preparation. All articles and typoscripts are also available in digital form.

The estate is stored in standard archive boxes, in Room U14 at the Rudolfskai 42. The archive is owned by the Leopold Kohr Academy and the Tauriska Cultural Association, which are headed by Christian Vötter and Susanna Vötter-Dankl. They carry out numerous activities in the fields of research, events and projects. The Leopold Kohr Archive was realized in cooperation with the Kohr Academy and the University of Salzburg. The state of Salzburg, the Federal Ministry of Science and Research, the city of Salzburg and the Salzburg Chamber of Commerce provided support.

Contact Person

Dr. Ewald Hiebl

Research Services

The estate of Leopold Kohr offers material for a further and deeper examination of the work of Leopold Kohr. Kohr has always been interested in political issues of contemporary historical interest, such as the Falkland conflict, the Waldheim affair, and the Gulf War, which have prompted him to make statements. The estate also contains numerous texts on Austria, especially on Oberndorf and the Christmas carol Silent Night, which document Kohr's attachment to his homeland.

Some literary texts, which can be assumed to have been written by Leopold Kohr, are also included in the estate. Of particular interest is also the correspondence between Leopold Kohr and his friends, with his followers, with fellow scientists and with famous statesmen. Almost all Austrian top politicians of the late 1980s and early 1990s expressed their appreciation for Kohr.

Methods & Expertise for Research Infrastructure

The materials collected in the Leopold Kohr Archive give an insight into Leopold Kohr's world of thought. The material is particularly interesting for scientific research, but also for museums and exhibitions as well as for journalistic research.

The estate of Leopold Kohr offers material for a further and deeper examination of the work of Leopold Kohr. Kohr has always been interested in political issues of contemporary historical interest, such as the Falkland conflict, the Waldheim affair, and the Gulf War, which have prompted him to make statements. The estate also contains numerous texts on Austria, especially on Oberndorf and the Christmas carol Silent Night, which document Kohr's attachment to his homeland.

Some literary texts, which can be assumed to have been written by Leopold Kohr, are also included in the estate. Of particular interest is also the correspondence between Leopold Kohr and his friends, with his followers, with fellow scientists and with famous statesmen. Almost all Austrian top politicians of the late 1980s and early 1990s expressed their appreciation for Kohr.