A treasure trove of photographic history unique in Germany: the Mittelmann Photo Archive in Leipzig. Over 2,000 glass negatives by the Jewish photographer Abram Mittelmann, who lived and worked at Peterssteinweg 15 from 1909 to 1938, were rediscovered by chance in 1988. The photographs depict the faces of Jewish and non-Jewish residents of Leipzig around 1930—many of whom remain unknown to this day.
Special exhibition opening on June 3, 2026, for the first time at the Museum of City History Leipzig“
Who were Abram Mittelmann and his family—and who were the people who had their photographs taken in his studio? The exhibition tells the story of Jewish life in Leipzig between 1909 and 1938.
2,000 glass plates in the online photo archive are waiting for you to search them
Over 2,200 images from the Mittelmann Photo Archive are available for digital search—many of which remain unidentified to this day. Help us give the people in these photographs back their stories.
Guided tour and discussion with exhibition curator Dr. Johanna Sänger in German
Stadtgeschichtliches Museum Leipzig
Haus Böttchergäßchen
Böttchergäßchen 3
04109 Leipzig
Public tour in German
Who were Abram Mittelmann and his family, and who were the people who had their photographs taken in his studio? What made Mittelmann’s work distinctive? What was life like for Jewish people in Leipzig between 1900 and 1938? And how does the museum handle the more than 2,000 glass plates and use such artifacts to shed light on the dark chapters of history? These questions are explored during the approximately one-hour long tour of the special exhibition.
Stadtgeschichtliches Museum Leipzig
Haus Böttchergäßchen
Böttchergäßchen 3
04109 Leipzig
Public tour in German
Who were Abram Mittelmann and his family, and who were the people who had their photographs taken in his studio? What set Mittelmann’s work apart? What was life like for Jewish people in Leipzig between 1900 and 1938? And how does the museum handle the more than 2,000 glass plates and use such artifacts to shed light on the dark chapters of history? These questions are explored during the approximately one-hour long tour of the special exhibition.
Stadtgeschichtliches Museum Leipzig
Haus Böttchergäßchen
Böttchergäßchen 3
04109 Leipzig
Guided tour and workshop with photographic artist Bob Jones in German
Expressive faces in high-contrast black-and-white, captured with a large-format camera: aesthetics and craftsmanship have united the photography of Abram Mittelmann and Bob Jones for over a century. Join Berlin-based photographic artist Jones on a tour of the exhibition to explore Mittelmann’s visual language and the techniques behind his images. In the workshop that follows, theory becomes practice using a homemade traveling camera—participants will create their own portraits, which will be developed on site.
Stadtgeschichtliches Museum Leipzig
Haus Böttchergäßchen
Böttchergäßchen 3
04109 Leipzig
A conversation with historian Dr Andrea Lorz in German
Stadtgeschichtliches Museum Leipzig
Haus Böttchergäßchen
Böttchergäßchen 3
04109 Leipzig
Public tour in German
Who were Abram Mittelmann and his family, and who were the people who had their photographs taken in his studio? What set Mittelmann’s work apart? What was life like for Jewish people in Leipzig between 1900 and 1938? And how does the museum handle the more than 2,000 glass plates and use such artifacts to shed light on the dark chapters of history? These questions are explored during the approximately one-hour long tour of the special exhibition.
Stadtgeschichtliches Museum Leipzig
Haus Böttchergäßchen
Böttchergäßchen 3
04109 Leipzig
Public tour in German
Who were Abram Mittelmann and his family, and who were the people who had their photographs taken in his studio? What set Mittelmann’s work apart? What was life like for Jewish people in Leipzig between 1900 and 1938? And how does the museum handle the more than 2,000 glass plates and use such artifacts to shed light on the dark chapters of history? These questions are explored during the approximately one-hour long tour of the special exhibition.
Stadtgeschichtliches Museum Leipzig
Haus Böttchergäßchen
Böttchergäßchen 3
04109 Leipzig
Public tour in German
Who were Abram Mittelmann and his family, and who were the people who had their photographs taken in his studio? What set Mittelmann’s work apart? What was life like for Jewish people in Leipzig between 1900 and 1938? And how does the museum handle the more than 2,000 glass plates and use such artifacts to shed light on the dark chapters of history? These questions are explored during the approximately one-hour long tour of the special exhibition.
Stadtgeschichtliches Museum Leipzig
Haus Böttchergäßchen
Böttchergäßchen 3
04109 Leipzig
Public tour in German
Who were Abram Mittelmann and his family, and who were the people who had their photographs taken in his studio? What set Mittelmann’s work apart? What was life like for Jewish people in Leipzig between 1900 and 1938? And how does the museum handle the more than 2,000 glass plates and use such artifacts to shed light on the dark chapters of history? These questions are explored during the approximately one-hour long tour of the special exhibition.
Stadtgeschichtliches Museum Leipzig
Haus Böttchergäßchen
Böttchergäßchen 3
04109 Leipzig
Public tour in German
Who were Abram Mittelmann and his family, and who were the people who had their photographs taken in his studio? What set Mittelmann’s work apart? What was life like for Jewish people in Leipzig between 1900 and 1938? And how does the museum handle the more than 2,000 glass plates and use such artifacts to shed light on the dark chapters of history? These questions are explored during the approximately one-hour long tour of the special exhibition.
Stadtgeschichtliches Museum Leipzig
Haus Böttchergäßchen
Böttchergäßchen 3
04109 Leipzig
The portrait shows Dr. Herbert Alexander. But how do we know that?
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A friendship between two families from Leipzig — documented in the Mittelmann Photo Archive. The history of the Podolanski family from Leipzig between 1931 and 1942.
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The Freier family from Münzgasse in Leipzig—eleven siblings whose lives are documented in the Mittelmann Photo Archive. Portraits and biographies.
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Eva Dodeles was born on April 5, 1927, in Leipzig. How do we know that?
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Ezriel Carlebach was the son of Gertrud and Ephraim Carlebach. Thanks to his well-known family and his own career, his life story is well documented.
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A photograph, a name on a glass plate — and a trail that leads astray. The story of the Kassewitz family in the Mittelmann Leipzig Photo Archive.
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The Jewish Kowalewsky family from Leipzig — stateless, persecuted, rescued. Their story in the Mittelmann Photo Archive, documented through passport photographs from 1935.
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