PRESS RELEASE August 19, 2009

 
Lennart Guldbrandsson and Stefan Högberg

Regionarkivet uploads unique photographs to Wikipedia

With help from the association Wikimedia Sverige, Regionarkivet (the municipal archive of the Gothenburg area in Sweden) has uploaded 27of its most valuable images to the web encyclopaedia Wikipedia. The photos were taken in Western Europe during the 1850s and later. Behind the camera stood some of the most influential photographers of that period.

“These photos are part of our global cultural heritage, and considering the number of visitors, we could easily determine that Wikipedia was the right forum for them,” says Stefan Högberg, archivist at Regionarkivet.

Lennart Guldbrandsson, chairman of Wikimedia Sverige, adds: “Regionarkivet has understood the power of Wikipedia. To the delight of image lovers everywhere. We hope to continue this collaboration and have already made plans for future image donations…”

Press conference

At 2 pm on Thursday, the 20th of August, some of the 27 pioneering photographs will be presented at a press conference at Regionarkivet, Otterhällegatan 5, Gothenburg, Sweden. Stefan Högberg and Lennart Guldbrandsson will be available to answer questions about the photos, Wikipedia and Regionarkivet.

About the images
The images are very high resolution scans from originals taken in the 1850s and the following decades. Among the photographers are Gustave Le Grey and the Bisson brothers from France, as well as the Brit Roger Fenton. The images are kept in special, climate-controlled storage vaults. They were brought to Sweden by Victor von Gegerfelt, the city architect who designed Feskekôrka and the Seed Store in The Garden Society of Gothenburg.

The images can be viewed at http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Regionarkivet.

About Regionarkivet

Regionarkivet is an archival institution which manages documents from the Region of Västra Götaland and the City of Gothenburg, Sweden, as well as a number of private archives (especially from movements and associations). Since 1998, the institution runs storage facilities in the cities of Gothenburg, Vänersborg and Mariestad. You can find more information at http://www.arkivnamnden.se.

Stefan Högberg, +46 707 92 10 32, stefan.hogberg@arkivnamnden.goteborg.se


About Wikimedia Sverige

Wikimedia Sverige is a non-profit association based in Sweden working to spread information about Wikipedia and other copyleft projects. The association also arranges scholarly conferences, courses and drives to assemble collections of, for instance, public domain images. Wikimedia Sverige is the national local chapter of the Wikimedia Foundation. You can find more information at http://www.wikimedia.se.

Lennart Guldbrandsson, +46 702 07 80 05, lennart@wikimedia.se