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The research archive: 200 years of interdependence and colonial history

The world-renowned research archive of the Basel Mission and Mission 21 is open to all interested parties for research purposes. The collection of files, historical photographs and maps enables questions to be asked about history, ethnology, anthropology, missionary studies, religious studies, geography, economics and linguistics from the early 19th century onwards. The majority of these sources, which are archived in the Cultural Property Protection Room at the headquarters of the Basel Mission and Mission 21, originate from the activities of the Basel Mission in Ghana, Cameroon, South India, China and the island of Borneo, as well as other countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America where Mission 21 is active in partnership. In addition, there are other small collections, including the important files of the Basler Handlungsgesellschaft. They reflect the interwoven history of mission and colonialism.

exchange intercultural discoveries

A place for exchange and intercultural discoveries

Two history students from Ghana and Switzerland bend over a handwritten report from the area of the former Gold Coast. A lively discussion ensues, with both students enriching each other's knowledge with their perspectives.

The archive is a place for international networking and exchange. Researchers expand their network through acquaintances made in the archive. Students discuss new insights gained from sources. Sometimes new international research partnerships even result from initial encounters in our archive.

Encounters of this kind bring the archive's sources to life. They encourage us to engage with them and learn from them for the present and the future. We invite you to get to know this unique place of learning that connects Basel with the world.

Preserving history, enabling research: Support our archive

The Mission 21 research archive documents more than 200 years of mission and world history. The maintenance of the archive with its offers for researchers worldwide, indexing, conservation and digitization projects is complex and cost-intensive.

The archive receives no external financial support. In order to continue to make the archive available to researchers in the future, the research archive is dependent on donations. This will enable us to continue to process further collections in the future and secure the archive's unique cultural assets through digitization.

Donate to the archive

Archive use

Consultation of archival documents in the reading room

The archive is available for research purposes. Please register your visit to the archive well in advance. Ordering archival materials must be done in advance by e-mail. For this purpose please consult â–º www.bmarchives.org. Archival records can only be viewed in the reading room and cannot be borrowed. An annual user fee is charged.

â–º Regulations for the use of the archive (PDF)

â–º Fee list (PDF)

Written inquiries

You will receive a brief reply to written inquiries, for example, whether or not files are available on a particular subject. Search requests are subject to a fee (see list of fees above). As a rule, only short searches can be undertaken.

Opening hours

Opening hours:
Monday to Thursday, Friday on request
09.00 - 17.00

The number of workstations in the reading rooms is limited. We ask for advance reservation.

Please send us your request by ► E-mail

andrea rhyn

Andrea Rhyn

Team Leader Research Archive
Tel. +41 (0)61 260 22 42
â–º E-mail

Online archive bmarchives

On the website bmarchives you can research our holdings online. In addition, you will find digitally more than 30,000 images from the period between 1850 and 1945 and over 6000 maps and plans from the archive.

Reproductions

For reproduction of archival materials, please contact the archives (info@bmarchives.org). For images created before 1900, as well as images after 1900 for which the copyright is held by Mission 21, digital copies in higher resolution can be ordered. The fee for this is 60 francs per image or 150 francs if redigitization is desired.

To order images from our archive, please use our order form.

The images may not be used for commercial purposes or in any racist or sexist context.

â–º Order form (PDF)

patrick moser

Patrick Moser

Archivist
Tel. +41 (0)61 260 22 57
â–º E-mail

img 2776 joelle fischer archivist square 350px

Joëlle Fischer

Archivist
Phone +41 (0)61 260 23 09
â–º E-mail

research archive

Guided tours in the cultural heritage room

On a journey through time in the cultural heritage room of the Mission 21 research archive, you will immerse yourself in the history of the Basel Mission and its links with global history in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Using original documents, you will encounter traces of European missionaries as well as local employees.

In addition to a general guided tour on the history of the Basel Mission, the archive team also offers guided tours focusing on women's history or the Basel trading society.

The general rates for courses at Mission 21 apply. Please note the information on our Educational offers.

We would like to draw your attention to the following events in particular:

November 13, 2026

Public archive tour

On November 13, 2026 at 6.30 pm, we are offering a public archive tour on the topic of «Basel in the network of colonial trade».

Details follow

One picture - one story

Under the title "One picture - one story" we present in the magazine begegnen each a particularly concise picture on a topic of the respective issue. The articles offer a good insight into the diversity of our archive. Articles published so far:

 

Site plan

You can reach us from the SBB train station by bus no. 30 to the "Spalentor" station and from there it is a few minutes' walk.

Hope thanks to your support

Mission 21
Protestant Mission Basel

PO Box 270
Missionsstrasse 21
4009 Basel, Switzerland
Tel.: +41 (0)61 260 21 20
info@mission-21.org

Donation account Switzerland:
IBAN: CH58 0900 0000 4072 6233 2
Tax exemption number:
CHE-105.706.527

Donation account Germany:
Savings Bank Lörrach-Rheinfelden
Swift BIC: SKLODE66
BLZ: 683 500 48
IBAN: DE39 6835 0048 0001 0323 33
Account No. : 1032333

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