Sonderband 2. International Council on Archives. Dritte Europäische Archivkonferenz, Wien 11. bis 15. Mai 1993. Tagungsprotokolle (1996)
2. Session /Séance. Regional (trans-border) Cooperation / Coopération régionale (transfrontaliere) - Sturm, Joachim: Perspectives for trans-border regional Cooperation: The Case of the Upper Rhine Zone / L’entente Rhénane d’archivistes municipaux (Erasm) (english 123 - français 134)
which established a training course for archivists, particulary adapted to the needs of municipalities. The movement towards the establishment of posts on the French side was accompanied by the appointment of new archivists in charge of long established and prestigious archive services such as those at Freiburg, Strasbourg and Mulhouse. To these must be added other municipalities such as Metz, Nancy or Karlsruhe, which by way of the merger of cultural and/or historical services or by the redefinition of the duties attached to archivists’ posts sought to shape a municipal cultural image conforming to the guidelines of the political authorities. Other municipalities were also stimulated to appoint archivists in remembrance of their former important contribution to regional history by reason of their past as an imperial town (Hagenau), a royal town (St. Louis) or a county town (Lahr). The new generation of municipal archivists, often with experience, well trained in archival and historical methods, soon realised that the past and future of their communities were inextricably interwoven across existing boundaries in the Rhine region and that their archives, for that reason, invariably held information of value to neighbouring archives. Aware that their knowledge of the sources and thus of the history of the region would be much enhanced by making contact with colleagues in other countries, they were from the outset in favour of a move to come close to each other. These preliminary remarks ought to suffice to make the notives for international co-operation in the region of the upper Rhine, which mainly encompasses the French region of Alsace, the historical bâle region of Switzerland and the Baden plain in West Germany, amply clear. International cooperation as practised by ERASM is thus based first of all on the awareness of a shared common historical heritage, which is matched by a firm intention to put down social roots in the region and to establish good-neighbourly relations and to create a living professional environment. It should be noted that besides this the social motive for uniting together beyond national boundaries, there is a close linking of open and receptive minds within Europe, ready to talk about the historical spectres which always haunt the subconscious minds of nations. The youthfulness of these recent arrivals must indeed count for something because their minds have already been formed within the framework of a European community in the course of construction. Moreover, it is not possible to think of ERASM without being reminded of the municipal archivist of Rouffach (French Upper Rhine), who on the eve of his retirement was one of the most enthusiastic protagonists of the entente that was being formed. Besides his enthusiasm for a special archival scenario by the interdependence of archives held on one side or the other of the Rhine and noted for their distressing past, be inspired ERASM with his vision of a peaceful and humane reconciliation between two peoples formerly at war. The development of the administration of archives on international and municipal scale in Europe within the International Concil on Archives, moreover gave 2. Session/Séance: Sturm, Trans-border Cooperation: Upper Rhine Zone 124
