The stadt-raum-geschichte portal is a specialist research and archive resource operated by the Leibniz Institute for Research on Society and Space (IRS) in Erkner, near Berlin. It serves as a professional portal for the IRS research focus “Contemporary History and Archive” and provides digital access to the institute’s collections on the architecture and planning history of the German Democratic Republic (GDR). Visitors can explore archival holdings through faceted searches and a map-based search, and consult sources, materials, biographies and information about notable collections and individual objects.

The portal also presents current and completed research projects, publications, research contributions, exhibitions and details about the archive’s work. Its participation opportunities include helping to describe archival records and contributing GDR postcards to the collection. The site highlights collaborations and digital research outputs, including maps created through the RichMap project, alongside exhibition information and related events.

Archive inquiries, visits and scanning services are subject to current access restrictions, which the portal explains for prospective users