The archives are accessible to the public Monday to Friday, 8.00 - 12.00. Other times are possible by arrangement. Users can search the holdings unless they are subject to a retention period. More details are provided in the Regulations for Use.

Yes, in the period between semesters, the archives are usually open at the specified times:
They are only closed on Good Friday, on 2 November (All Souls’ Day) as well as 24 and 31 December. Details of unforeseen closures are available on our website by clicking on News.

During opening hours, you may visit the archives without informing us in advance. However, to avoid a wasted journey or a long wait, we advise that you arrange an appointment by telephone or in writing before your initial visit, particularly if you are involved in a major research project.

The TU Wien archives primarily hold records from TU Wien’s central administration and its predecessor institutions, the Imperial and Royal Polytechnic Institute and the (Imperial and Royal) TU Wien.
Notably, it contains course and examination records, viva-voce and post-doctoral records and a smaller number of departmental (colleges) and institutional records. The archives also house a range of collections, including the Privilegiensammlung, as well as bequests from former students of TU Wien. More details are provided in Holdings.

A member of archive staff will advise you.
The main study catalogues are partly arranged in alphabetical order and partly by an index of names. Records from the Rector’s Office are indexed or contained in registers of minutes, and the Privilegiensammlung has a card index (containing an alphabetical index of names and a keyword index).
We are currently developing additional search tools.

In contrast to a library, archives primarily hold handwritten documents (records), including plans and drawings. The only books held are those in the reference library or in the special collections (see Holdings). If you are looking for a particular book, your first port of call should be a library, such as TU Wien’s University Library, opens an external URL in a new window.

It is usually possible to access the required documents on your initial visit without a long wait. However, there may be a longer wait if you wish to access a large amount of material or if your request is complicated. This also applies if your request requires longer research or the prior restoration of the archive material (see also FAQ 3).

Archive documents and other records or documents held in the archives cannot be borrowed. They can only be viewed in the archive reading room.
It is only possible to borrow archive material in exceptional circumstances when needed by TU Wien administration officials to carry out their official duties or by public institutions for exhibition purposes (see section 10 of the Archive Regulations and Regulations for Use).

In principle, yes. Copies can be ordered at cost and can usually be collected the next working day provided that the documents in question can be copied without being damaged and that so doing does not contravene copyright or data protection regulations.
Users are not permitted to make their own copies of archive documents for technical reasons.

No, users are not permitted to take their own photographs of archive documents.
If requested, members of archive staff can make photographic reproductions of archive documents at cost, provided that so doing does not contravene copyright or data protection regulations.

Try to make your archive requests as precise as possible, as this makes it more likely that we will be able to find you the relevant documents or advise you accordingly.
You should therefore collect as much information as possible on your research subject prior to your visit. Familiarity with the most important literature available in libraries that relates to your topic will certainly facilitate your work in the archives.