DOG establishes Commission “History and Responsibility”
The Executive Board of the German Ornithological Society (DOG) unanimously decided at its online meeting on May 29, 2026 to establish the “History and Responsibility” Commission. With this, the DOG is taking an important step toward a scholarly reappraisal of its own history. The commission is to consist of DOG members and work in close cooperation with external historians.
The commission is currently being set up. Its final staffing and rules of procedure are to be presented, discussed, and adopted at the DOG General Assembly in Mainz in September 2026. The aim is to form a working body that develops its work and projects together with external experts from the field of history.
Basis: The Leipzig Paper
The establishment of the commission is based on the workshop “History of the DOG – Focus on National Socialism”, which took place on April 11 and 12, 2026 in Leipzig. There, DOG members discussed perspectives for a contemporary culture of remembrance together with historians and other guests, and developed a joint position paper.
The Leipzig Paper on the history and responsibility of the DOG formulates key tasks for the coming years. These include the scholarly study of the association’s history from the Weimar Republic through the Federal Republic of Germany, the digitization and indexing of historical sources, the critical contextualization of honors and other personnel matters conferred in the past, as well as greater visibility for actors who have so far received little attention.
The Leipzig Paper explicitly recommends cooperation with external historians and institutions devoted to remembrance and memorial culture.
From the founding to the first source-based research
Just a few days after its establishment, the commission began its work. On July 2 and 3, 2026, Dirk Tolkmitt, Klaus Nottmeyer, and Dr. Dorit Visbeck-Liebers conducted research in the archive of the Museum für Naturkunde Berlin.
Special thanks go to Dr. Sylke Frahnert, Vice President of the DOG and curator at the Museum für Naturkunde in Berlin, who made access to the archive possible despite the imminent multi-year closure of the institution.
The preparation of the research was significantly facilitated by a digitization project carried out by the Museum für Naturkunde between 2021 and 2023. In the process, the Berlin-based agency Facts & Files digitized and extensively indexed all archival holdings of the museum, including our association records. On this basis, all 859 archival collections of the DOG were reviewed in advance, and a first selection of relevant holdings was compiled for the archive visit.
During the two-day research visit, the selected files were examined, key sections were photographed, and initial working notes were made. The initial goal was to gain an overview of the source situation and to define future research priorities.
Photographic documentation and digital recording of content and topics in the reading room of the archive at the Museum für Naturkunde Berlin.
First Key Topic: Günther Niethammer
As its first topic, the commission is focusing on Günther Niethammer’s two terms as President of the German Ornithological Society (1968–1973), as well as his preceding twelve-year tenure as Vice President (1955–1967). The main focus is the reconstruction of the decision-making processes at the time, as well as the review and evaluation of the available sources.
Among other things, File 639 proved particularly revealing, as it provides initial insights into discussions and sentiments within the executive board and advisory board. What conclusions can be drawn from this will become clear through the further analysis of the sources.
The commission does not see its task as replacing historical research itself. Rather, it aims to make sources accessible, develop research questions, and accompany the process of coming to terms with the past together with external historians. In this way, the history of the DOG is documented transparently and the results are communicated openly.
The work has only just begun, and there are still many completely untouched archive boxes waiting to be explored and cataloged.
A look into the archives – and at their gaps
The visit to the archive also made it clear that historical research not only provides answers, but also raises new questions.
One particularly striking example concerns the historical role of women in the history of the DOG. While numerous files on office holders and committees have survived, the holdings examined so far initially yielded only two thin files containing 19th-century correspondence from Countess Kleist-Tychow and Cecil Boden Kloss with Ernst Hartert, respectively. This is a field of research that should receive greater attention in the future.
Outlook
With the establishment of the Commission on History and Responsibility, a long-term process of historical review and critical engagement with the association’s own history begins. Further archival work is already planned. In addition, an international workshop is to take place next year, which is expected to be prepared together with Polish ornithologists. Kraków is currently being considered as the venue, with a joint visit to the Auschwitz memorial site.
History cannot be rewritten – but it can be researched, contextualized, and communicated transparently. With the Commission on History and Responsibility, the DOG has created an institutional framework for this.
Klaus Nottmeyer, Dirk Tolkmitt and Dorit Visbeck-Liebers
DOG Commission “History and Responsibility”