Extended abstract for the ReDICo Online-Conference “Digital Pasts and Futures: Internet Histories, Digital Interculturality and Reimagining Digitality“, 23-24 June 2025
(german translation below)
In Germany, there exist a number of so-called regional portals (Regionalportale)—websites dedicated to the history and cultural heritage of a specific region, usually identical to a present-day federal state. They offer a range of comparable application scenarios: the search for information on important personalities or on localities and sub-regions, the possibility of an overview of relevant sources and the digital presentation of the cultural heritage of a region. On the one hand, these internet offerings are aimed at state history and regional studies research, and on the other hand, at a broad, culturally and historically interested public. Especially local historians, amateur historians, genealogists, and other citizen scientists are among the most important user groups and, conversely, contribute to the expansion and correction of the offerings with their findings.