Stretched over two kilometres of shelf space, the archives include collections of documents relating to provenance as well as parts of the archives of single provenances, family archives, the Deutsche Glockenarchiv (an archive of historical bells), legacies of manuscripts and the administrative archives of the GNM since 1852.

All collected material, including the GNM’s own old records, has found its way into the archives either as targeted acquisitions, donations, or as loans. The archives are broad in scope, in terms of both the geographical areas and topics covered, making them a veritable treasure trove for researchers of widely different subjects.

The most frequently requested objects include official documents, autographs, seals, work correspondence and academic correspondence, the Bells Archive, GNM museum archives, objects originating or relating to the House of Wolkenstein-Rodenegg, the von Behaim family, the Pegnesischer Blumenorden literary society and badges in the pilgrim-badge catalogue (Pilgerzeichenkartei).