Local files by districts
Each of the East Prussian districts has its own archival tradition. It can differ greatly from those of other districts. On the one hand, this depends on how well the files survived the relocations during and after World War II. Certainly there are categories of documents, such as file covers, that were more at risk than others of being reused or destroyed. Often, however, chance may have determined which documents were preserved. On the other hand, in addition to the landscape conditions, the state of research before 1945 determines the number of archaeological sites and the type of monuments we know from the local records.
In this section, the preserved records are characterised for selected districts. In addition to the numbers of sites and transcribed volumes of records, particularly extensive and scientifically interesting complexes are highlighted. In addition, there is a brief overview of frequently occurring document categories and archaeological monuments, such as cemeteries, settlements or single finds.