ZEISS Archives - original documents, files, photos

The ZEISS Archives

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The ZEISS Archives contain original documents, files, photos, patents, registered designs, product literature, technical documentation and instruments from more than 150 years of company history.

The Archives were established in 1948. This is where the rest of the written documentation was collected, documentation that survived WWII, the American confiscations and the Soviet dismantling of German industry. Initially part of the Archives of VEB Carl Zeiss Jena, they then became the central archives of the VEB Carl Zeiss Jena conglomerate. After German reunification in 1989/90, they became part of Carl Zeiss Jena GmbH. Today, they are the ZEISS global archives.

Inquiries

related to instruments, people and events
Reproduction

of photographs on the history of Carl Zeiss
Copies

of advertising material, user manuals and other documents
Loan

of old instruments to museums and exhibitions
Independent research

for research and publication project in the Archives

Structure of the Archives

The ZEISS Archives were originally created for inventory. They were allocated the documents from before 1945, those of the VEB and some of those belonging to the combine. This unit (BACZ) therefore houses the documents up to the mid-1960s.

Only in 1998 was a decision made to merge the individual combine operations as individual holdings. As the documents of the BACZ are already used and cited in scientific literature under this signature, and there is no compelling reason to realign them, it was decided that the documents of the VEB would stay as is and perform major division only at catalogue level.

Against the embittered resistance of the workforce, Carl Zeiss Jena was nationalized on 1 July 1948. At the same time, VVB Optik was established with a view to coordinating the work of the VEBs in the field of optics. In the first few years, the foreman of VEB Carl Zeiss Jena was also top executive of this VVB. ZEISS was soon adapted to the needs of the state-controlled economy. This organizational structure did not see any major changes over the next few years. Only the Employment Directorate was set up in 1953.

Major changes were commonplace at Research and Development. This affected the intermediate levels more than it did the individual Research and Development departments.

However, the documents on this level can be allocated to the individual laboratories. For this reason, precise reconstruction of these organizational changes is not important for document indexing.
On 1 January 1965, VEB Carl Zeiss Jena was turned into a combine. At the same time, it was allocated to VEB Rathenower Optische Werke (ROW).

Organizational change was rather a slow process. While the former management team did become independent enterprises (telescope management (FBL) became the F enterprise), officially they remained production facilities. The core areas (Research, Development, Technology, Sales) remained dominant. It took a while for them to become fully integrated enterprises.

As these enterprises hardly left any trail behind them, and in order to make the structures less complex, the few documents (45 units, primarily from the G, F and P enterprises) were allocated to the former management and a new stock was only formed with the establishment of a new, fully integrated enterprise. The same process was applied to the documents from Research and Development (see also the Research Operations section). They were allocated to the former laboratories until the establishment of the Research Center in 1971.
Since the mid-1960s, substantial investments were approved for ZEISS. The aim of the investments was to increase the production of scientific precision instruments for the needs of the former East Germany and for exports.

One of the largest construction projects was the construction of building 6/70. It became the center of the South Production System (aka Factory II), which saw a large part of the South Factory consolidated into a technological system. The three parent companies G, F and P relocated to building 6/70 once the investments were complete and were consolidated in "Factory 2". Effective 7 December 1971, the project management team in charge of building 6/70 since 20 March 1971, also known as the "building team", was dissolved. As of 6 December 1971, the plant management of Factory 2, which was renamed G enterprise, assumed its duties. Also effective 6 December 1971, the F, G and P enterprises were allocated to plant management for Factory II. The responsibilities of the specialist management teams was consistent across all the enterprises of the combine. It was conducted horizontally, by responsibilities.

After conclusion of the reforms, the organizational structure of Factory 2, or the G enterprise, remained intact until the dissolution of the G enterprise. The Security department was renamed GX in 1977 and the inspection office assigned to it, which had previously been directly below the plant manager. An order management team (GA) was formed and assumed the construction management tasks of the GT department.
After the combine was formed in 1965, an initial attempt was made to expand the enterprises into full-fledged companies. For this reason, Research and Development were allocated to the individual enterprises. A central directorate for Research and Development was retained, which was primarily in charge of initial and basic research.

The internal organizational structure of the laboratories and development offices had hardly any impact on the new setup. The laboratories retained their names and roles, even if the structural acronyms changed. The laboratories remained in the research block constructed in 1959. This means that only minor adjustments were made to the informal processes as well. This continuity is evident in the documents: they were simply continued. Their allocation to the enterprises only lasted a short while. After a detailed analysis of these documents, it came to light that the document structure did not permit any sort of major change. What's more, this would result in increased complexity. For this reason, the documentation remained allocated to the origin classification of the VEB's old research institutes. This led to a skewed structure: while the VEB's other documents only go back as far as 1964, the documents for research and development up to 1970 have been allocated to the VEB. This did not change until the Research Center was established on 1 January 1971. Here, not only were Research and Development merged, but also Technology Development for the "Technology" Management team.

After a number of experiments at the organization, in 1976 a structure was created that essentially remained intact throughout the life of the Research Center. Meanwhile, the experiments concerned the laboratories and development offices than they did the levels between them and the Research Management team. The laboratories were thus split into two groups for a time: WL and WS.

In 1968, a dedicated Research Center was established for the automation of the AUTEVO technical preparation. The Research Control Center LZ AUTEVO was funded by the state budget and tasked with driving research in computer-assisted production preparation in international collaboration and with the other branches of industry. Funding resources were provided, which were utilized in mechanical engineering, systems construction, and the electronics and building industries. In 1979, the Research Center, which had by now been reduced to the AUTEVO coordination point, was closed. The topics and some of the staff initially moved to the X department, then to WEH, and later on to WEK.

Your research in the ZEISS Archives

(only available in German)

Before visiting the archive, you can research pictures, printed materials and files (so far only Kombinat Carl Zeiss Jena) via our online search tool. You will also find a database with descriptions of the devices manufactured by ZEISS.

ZEISS Archives

In the last few years, over 160,000 photographs have been catalogued. More than 120,000 of these have already been scanned. The oldest pictures date back to the 1860s. The images show people, buildings, instruments, and events. Due to the enormous amount of data and for data privacy reasons, it is not possible to upload the pictures to the internet.

We will be happy to provide you with printable versions of our photos to be used for editorial or scientific purposes.
Our terms of use are as follows:

“ZEISS Archive” must be named as the source.
The images may only be used for the intended purpose. After use, the image files and any copies must be destroyed.
Any use for a different purpose must be approved in advance. Any unauthorized transfer to third parties is prohibited.
A specimen copy of the pictures will be sent to the ZEISS Archives before they are published in any way.

Using preview images, you can select which pictures you would like to order from history@zeiss.com. Please tell us what you intend to use the images for and provide us with the signature above each image.
Online search for photographs
ZEISS Archives

Over 100,000 different product literature publications are catalogued in the product literature database. Almost without exception, they consist of product literature from Carl Zeiss and its subsidiaries. Among them are catalogs, brochures, and instruction manuals, as well as price lists and circulars for retailers. You can also find reprints of scientific articles discussing Carl Zeiss instruments.

The collection of product literature up until 1945 is almost complete; only some of the brochures for military instruments are missing.

For the period after 1945, the publications of VEB Carl Zeiss Jena and that of the combine have been collected. The gaps include: military instruments as well as instruments which were ultimately not produced in Jena, especially glasses (Rathenow), binoculars (Eisfeld) and camera lenses (Saalfeld).

ZEISS in Oberkochen has thus far collected the product literature for the Microscopy business group and the former Geodetic Instrument business group, which has since been taken over by the company Trimble Jena GmbH.

For cost reasons, these documents can be searched but not downloaded. However, you can order copies. We charge €0.50 per page (plus a €5 fee) with a minimum order value of €15.
Researching product literature online
ZEISS Archives

In conjunction with Prof. Walter, who holds the Chair for Economic History at the Friedrich Schiller University of Jena, and with sponsorship from the VW Foundation, three important collections from the VEB Carl Zeiss Jena combine were made accessible between 1998 and 2002.

The goal was to test new indexing forms for the internet.

In the next few years, the plan is to make other inventories from the combine as well as older inventories available one by one for research and release them for use on the internet.

Online research can be done to prepare for, but not replace, a visit to the archives, since the file contents themselves cannot be uploaded to the internet.

To order files from the archives, you need the digital signature of each file. For data privacy reasons, access to the index of persons is limited.

We are currently working on a way to help locate the older Carl Zeiss Jena files from before 1945.
Online document research

Image from the virtual museum — ZEISS Archives

In our virtual museum, you can find every instrument manufactured by ZEISS up to 1945. The devices have the original texts from the old brochures.

Exact manufacturing dates are often difficult to ascertain, which is why we have decided not to offer specific information.

The following ranges can be researched online (1945-1990):

Online research in the virtual museum

	Jena	Oberkochen
Astronomical devices	•	•
Glasses	•	•
Documentation technique	•
Binoculars	•	•
Magnetic tape storage	•
Medical technology	•	•
Analysis metrology	•	•
Microelectronics	•
Microscopy	•	•
Numerics	•
Photo	•	•
Projection and movie theater	•
High vacuum technology	•
Surveying instruments	•	•

ZEISS Archives

A collection of roughly 1,500 Carl Zeiss instruments is on display in Jena. The items are lent out for company presentations to museums and to exhibition organizers.

This collection builds on the collection from the former plant for optical precision instruments (G-Plant) at Carl Zeiss (German Democratic Republic). It has grown in the past few years.

The aim is to collect these instruments, which document the product history and scientific development of ZEISS in Jena.

This is what distinguishes our collection from that of the optical museum in Jena and Oberkochen:
The Optical Museum in Jena is based on a collection from the Carl Zeiss Research departments in Jena. Today the two organizations are no longer directly linked. The Optical Museum documents the history of optics. The focus is largely, but not exclusively, on Carl Zeiss. The following ranges (1945-1990) can be researched online:

German Optical Museum
The ZEISS Museum of Optics in Oberkochen collects instruments from the ZEISS Group up through German reunification, as well as the latest products.

Optical Museum
ZEISS Archives
Evaluation of the places of residence of employees until 1890

With the help of our history maps, you can search online for employees or sold microscopes yourself:
Short biographies are available for all employees who were hired until 1889. You can search by name, place of origin or profession. The places of birth are shown on a map. The mechanics from this early period come from all over Germany and some of them only stay for a short time. The opticians, on the other hand, who were initially trained by Carl Zeiss himself, came from the region and usually stayed until the end of their professional lives.

Research for employees until 1890
Another map illustrates where the microscopes were sent until 1889. ZEISS initially delivered more to German and Russian university towns, but later he also achieved great growth in the Western European science and trade metropolises.

Research for microscopes until 1890
ZEISS Archives

Chronicle of optics

In the early 1950s, archivist Fritz Ortlepp put together a chronicle of optics. It consists of some 30,000 index cards and ranges from the pre-Socratic philosophers to about 1945.

This card catalogue is currently being processed so that it can be made available as an online database. The next step planned is to complete the data from World War II on.
Virtual museum

The biographies of the 100 most important Carl Zeiss employees up to 1945, including photos, are currently being compiled. They are being added to the Virtual Museum along with a photo. There will be links to the instruments that each person invented.

The patent database for the period before 1945 will also be included in the museum. The patents are to be linked to the inventors and products.

The products of VEB Carl Zeiss Jena and the Carl Zeiss Group following 1945 are to be catalogued. However, due to the diversity of companies and business units, this will take some time to complete.

Parts of the Virtual Museum will be translated into English. Due to the volume of data involved, however, this will also take some time.

If you are interested in taking part in one of the projects on a voluntary basis, please send an email to:

Indices — ZEISS Archives, Photo: Anna Schroll

Research tips

Like on the internet, "full-text searches" are possible. However, it often turns up very imprecise results. For this reason, there are three further ways of searching that are typical for archives:

Research tips

Indices

Keyword, device and place indexes enable precise searches for particular information. In general, the individual keyword is followed by a derivative and a comma in order to keep the number of hits at a reasonable level

Therefore, it is advisable to also consider related terms in the index lists (keywords, devices, etc.).

Example:
The full-text search for "Annual Report" returns more than 270 hits.
In the keywords index you will find:
Annual Report, 1933/34
Annual Report, 1935
[...]

For reasons of data protection, the personal index cannot be activated for the internet.

Document plan

Since the mid-1970s, the document plan of the Ministry for Electronics and Electrical Engineering has been used.

This file plan has its disadvantages. The content was arranged by topic and formal aspects (e.g. protocols). The origin is not important.

For instance, as per the document plan, "Workloads of the Different Management Levels" had to be filed under number 0.2.3. The content was formally catalogued on the level below that (Specifications, Designs, Protocols, Templates). There was no way to distinguish between the "different management levels" such as combine and enterprise management. They can therefore not be distinguished here.

That's why this document plan is not suitable for all archive searches. However, as the documents were pre-classified in this way, this system remained in use.

Classification

A completely new classification was created based on origin. An attempt was made to use the document origins as a guide to the greatest possible extent. In other words, the documents are allocated to the organizational units in which they were created and/or the department that was responsible for a particular question.

Consistent division was not always meaningful, which is why, for example, the plant management documents, which could in theory be responsible for all questions and problems, are allocated to the respective directorates and departments.

There are 4 hierarchy levels: at the top is the inventory, and below it are the main departments and directorates, followed by the other departments. Large document volumes are allocated by tasks and responsibilities on the lowest level.

Web research into production and supply lists

Digital scans on Collections@UrMEL

The written records of Carl Zeiss Jena contain production and dispatch lists for microscopes, optical measuring instruments and astronomic devices. In collaboration with the Thuringian State and University Library in Jena, digital scans of these books were published online to enable independent research. This means instrument specifications, production details and information about the recipient can now be researched online. The lists were compiled with old German handwriting, which means they are sometimes confusing and thus hard to work with. If you have any questions, please contact us.

Production list for simple microscopes — ZEISS Archives

Production lists for microscopes until 1920

The microscope book production lists (production data) and dispatch lists (e.g. buyers, equipment) were combined until 1904. From this date onwards, only delivery data was collected. The lists are normally structured as follows:

Serial number / stand + recipient / place of delivery / accessories / date of delivery / produced by + date

In book 1, simple and compound microscopes appear in separate lists. Simple microscopes were given their own numbers, from 1 to 879, and compound microscopes from 1 to 5,024. From 1865 to 1881, the microscope stands featured two labels: stand no. / microscope no. So, for example, the 500th compound microscope is also the 1,174th ZEISS microscope. So it was labeled as “500/1,174.” The dissecting microscopes were labeled from 1 to 86, but in reverse order (microscope no./ stand no.).

In books 2 through 7, the microscopes are listed in numerical order, from 5,000 to 69,460. This does not apply to the dissecting microscopes, which are logged in book 3, and numbered from 10,003 to 51,260.

from No.	to No.	Device type	Production list
1		Simple microscope	UrMEL
564/815	879/4974	Simple microscope	UrMEL
1/1477	491/4999	New dissecting microscope	UrMEL
1		Compound microscopes	UrMEL
239/796		Compound microscopes	UrMEL
500/1174		Compound microscopes	UrMEL
1000/1806		Compound microscopes	UrMEL
1500/2434		Compound microscopes	UrMEL
2000/3005		Compound microscopes	UrMEL
2500/3467		Compound microscopes	UrMEL
3000/4136		Compound microscopes	UrMEL
3500/4722	3749/4987	Compound microscopes	UrMEL

from No.	to No.	Device type	Production list
3750/5000		Compound microscopes	UrMEL
5500		Compound microscopes	UrMEL
6000		Compound microscopes	UrMEL
6500		Compound microscopes	UrMEL
7000		Compound microscopes	UrMEL
7508		Compound microscopes	UrMEL
8000		Compound microscopes	UrMEL
8500		Compound microscopes	UrMEL
9000		Compound microscopes	UrMEL
9513	9665	Compound microscopes	UrMEL
5035	9914	New dissecting microscope	UrMEL
880/5009	8557	Simple microscope	UrMEL
9666	9999	Compound microscopes	UrMEL

from No.	to No.	Device type	Production list
10003	14321	Dissecting microscopes	UrMEL
15009	15971	Dissecting microscopes	UrMEL
13263	13310	Dissecting microscopes	UrMEL
15972	19920	Dissecting microscopes	UrMEL
20013	24950	Dissecting microscopes	UrMEL
25011	29999	Dissecting microscopes	UrMEL
30000	34930	Dissecting microscopes	UrMEL
35051	39910	Dissecting microscopes	UrMEL
40071	44999	Dissecting microscopes	UrMEL
45000	49930	Dissecting microscopes	UrMEL
50031	51260	Dissecting microscopes	UrMEL

from No.	to No.	Device type	Production list
10000		Microscope stands	UrMEL
11000		Microscope stands	UrMEL
12000		Microscope stands	UrMEL
13000		Microscope stands	UrMEL
14000		Microscope stands	UrMEL
15000		Microscope stands	UrMEL
16000		Microscope stands	UrMEL
17000		Microscope stands	UrMEL
18000		Microscope stands	UrMEL
19000		Microscope stands	UrMEL
20000		Microscope stands	UrMEL
21000		Microscope stands	UrMEL
22000		Microscope stands	UrMEL
23000	24000	Microscope stands	UrMEL

from No.	to No.	Device type	Production list
24001		Microscope stands	UrMEL
25000		Microscope stands	UrMEL
26000		Microscope stands	UrMEL
27000		Microscope stands	UrMEL
28000		Microscope stands	UrMEL
29000		Microscope stands	UrMEL
30000		Microscope stands	UrMEL
31000		Microscope stands	UrMEL
32005		Microscope stands	UrMEL
33000		Microscope stands	UrMEL
34000		Microscope stands	UrMEL
35000		Microscope stands	UrMEL
36000		Microscope stands	UrMEL
37000		Microscope stands	UrMEL
38000		Microscope stands	UrMEL
39000		Microscope stands	UrMEL
40000		Microscope stands	UrMEL
41000		Microscope stands	UrMEL
42000		Microscope stands	UrMEL
43000		Microscope stands	UrMEL
44000		Microscope stands	UrMEL
45001	45660	Microscope stands	UrMEL

from No.	to No.	Device type	Production list
45661		Microscope stands	UrMEL
46000		Microscope stands	UrMEL
47000		Microscope stands	UrMEL
48000		Microscope stands	UrMEL
49000		Microscope stands	UrMEL
50000		Microscope stands	UrMEL
51000		Microscope stands	UrMEL
52000		Microscope stands	UrMEL
53000		Microscope stands	UrMEL
54000		Microscope stands	UrMEL
55000		Microscope stands	UrMEL
56000		Microscope stands	UrMEL
57000	57960	Microscope stands	UrMEL

from No.	to No.	Device type	Production list
57961		Microscope stands	UrMEL
58000		Microscope stands	UrMEL
59000		Microscope stands	UrMEL
60000		Microscope stands	UrMEL
61000		Microscope stands	UrMEL
62000		Microscope stands	UrMEL
63000		Microscope stands	UrMEL
64000		Microscope stands	UrMEL
65000		Microscope stands	UrMEL
66000		Microscope stands	UrMEL
67000		Microscope stands	UrMEL
68000		Microscope stands	UrMEL
69000	69460	Microscope stands	UrMEL

from No.	to No.	Device type	Production list
69461		Microscope stands	UrMEL
70000		Microscope stands	UrMEL
71000		Microscope stands	UrMEL
72000		Microscope stands	UrMEL
73000		Microscope stands	UrMEL
74000	74800	Microscope stands	UrMEL
68000	74800	individual numbers	UrMEL

Production lists for optical measuring instruments up to 1920

Any ZEISS instruments that used optical methods to determine the chemical and physical characteristics were referred to as measuring instruments. This area also paved the way for the creation of other product groups like geodetic instruments, stereoscopy and photogrammetry. That’s why instruments like these were also included in these production lists. The first measuring instruments were collected in the book “Mikro 1” (Micro 1). From 1888 and refractometer no. 91 onward, individual lists were also compiled for these instruments.

The instrument type should first be identified before research can be conducted into the production lists. You are also welcome to contact us for this purpose.

from No.	to No.	Device type	Production list
1	527	Refractometer	UrMEL
100	114	Percent refractometer	UrMEL
1	77	Butter refractometer [deleted]	UrMEL
30		Air pump	UrMEL

from No.	to No.	Device type	Production list
		Repairs 1918	UrMEL
91	210	Abbe refractometer	UrMEL
1	150	Butter refractometer / milk fat refractometer	UrMEL
216	235	Abbe refractometer	UrMEL
1/100	14/113	Percent refractometer	UrMEL
1	10	Milk fat refractometer	UrMEL
1	210	Stereo micrometer	UrMEL
1	499	Measuring machines	UrMEL
500	999	Measuring machines	UrMEL
1000	1499	Measuring machines	UrMEL
1500	1999	Measuring machines	UrMEL
2000	2280	Measuring machines	UrMEL
41	90	Interpupillometer	UrMEL
1	5	Scales	UrMEL
201	202	Rangefinders	UrMEL
1	10	Rangefinders	UrMEL
1	60	Hand spectroscopes w. reference prism	UrMEL
31	41	Analyzer on stand	UrMEL
1	30	Analyzer on stand	UrMEL
2281	2340	Measuring machines	UrMEL
61/2341	89/2370	Handheld spectroscopes w. wavelength scales	UrMEL
1	15	Ophthalmometer (pupillometer)	UrMEL
11	24	8x rangefinders	UrMEL
1	61	Absorption vessels for the comparison microscope	UrMEL
1	330	Heating coils	UrMEL
25	64	8x rangefinders	UrMEL
1/2371	30/2400	Stereoscopes	UrMEL
1/2401	30/2430	Stereoscopes (new design)	UrMEL
62	93	Absorption vessels for the comparison microscope	UrMEL
1	32	Wall chart explaining the butter refractometer	UrMEL
1	23	Fresnel's biprisms	UrMEL
31/2431	342/2742	Stereoscopes (new design)	UrMEL
1/2743	60	Mercury arc	UrMEL
343/2773	400/2800	Stereoscopes (new version)	UrMEL

from No.	to No.	Device type	Production list
2801		Measuring machines	UrMEL
3000		Measuring machines	UrMEL
4000		Measuring machines	UrMEL
5000		Measuring machines	UrMEL
6000		Measuring machines	UrMEL
7000		Measuring machines	UrMEL
8000		Measuring machines	UrMEL
9000		Measuring machines	UrMEL
10000		Measuring machines	UrMEL
11000		Measuring machines	UrMEL
12000		Measuring machines	UrMEL
13000		Measuring machines	UrMEL
14000	14030	Measuring machines	UrMEL

from No.	to No.	Device type	Production list
14031		Measuring machines	UrMEL
15000		Measuring machines	UrMEL
16000		Measuring machines	UrMEL
17000		Measuring machines	UrMEL
18000		Measuring machines	UrMEL
19000		Measuring machines	UrMEL
20000		Measuring machines	UrMEL
21000		Measuring machines	UrMEL
22000	22029	Measuring machines	UrMEL

Production lists for astronomical devices, 1929–1976 (1990)

The log book "Astro 1" documents serial numbers for different astronomical devices such as monocular and binocular telescopes, from no. 11,364 (1929) to 50,392 (1976). It also includes information about accessories such as mounts, astronomical cameras, clock drives (Uhrgan) and domes. In 1990 only 3 devices were assigned the numbers 50,393 through 50,395.
A separate list details planetariums, from nos. 55 (1949) through 385 (1975) (386 through 388 as "latecomers" in 1990) and panorama telescopes from nos. 751 (1919) through 3085 (1942). Unfortunately, there are no details about customers or delivery points. The Starmor and Starmorbi telescopes with the numbers 751 through 1,750 from the period 1919 to 1931 appear to have been grouped at a later stage. Blank pages (1-6, 55-84, 87-96) have not been scanned.

The lists are structured as follows:

Serial no.: Large devices were assigned at least two numbers (one for the mount and one for the optic). These numbers appeared on the mount or the device itself, not the lens.

Quantity: The quantity is derived from the difference between the order numbers (+ 1)
Device name: The device names are often abbreviated.

Ref. no. = drawing number: The ref. nos. have appeared occasionally since 1957 and continuously since 1960, and simultaneously functioned as the numbers for the drawing sets. The first two digits of the 6-digit number stood for the product group: 16 or 17 for astronomical devices and their accessories, 18 and 19 for planetariums and their accessories.

documented for = order number (abbreviation: LA): The order number system changed several times over the years.

Date: It can be assumed that the date given was an order date, or the date on which the serial numbers were assigned to the production area, and not the date when production was completed or the item was delivered

The log book "Astro 2" contains information about astronomical optics from nos. 15,001 (1929) through 38,593. Unfortunately, they are only dated up to number 29,735 (1969). In addition to lenses, they contain other optics like prisms and mirrors. Occasional reference is made to devices that you would expect to see in the book Astro 1, so it is worth consulting both lists.
The log books are set up as in Astro 1. Pages 27, 28, 45 and 46 are missing in the original. We can assume that the folio numbering was incorrect. The lists were written by hand. Abbreviations may differ depending on the writer. Feel free to contact us if you have any questions or problems.

from No. ;	to No.	Device type	Production list
11364		Astronomical devices	UrMEL
20000	22277	Astronomical devices	UrMEL
30000		Astronomical devices	UrMEL
40000		Astronomical devices	UrMEL
50000	50395	Astronomical devices	UrMEL
55	388	Planetariums	UrMEL
751	3085	Spyglasses	UrMEL

from No.	to No.	Device type	Production list
15001		Astronomical optics	UrMEL
16000		Astronomical optics	UrMEL
17000		Astronomical optics	UrMEL
18000		Astronomical optics	UrMEL
19000		Astronomical optics	UrMEL
20000		Astronomical optics	UrMEL
21000		Astronomical optics	UrMEL
25000		Astronomical optics	UrMEL
30000	38593	Astronomical optics	UrMEL

Research in the virtual museum

This is where you’ll find information about instruments manufactured by ZEISS up to 1945, and in some cases in 1990. (only available in German)

Werner Plumpe (publisher) "Eine Vision. Zwei Unternehmen. 125 Jahre Carl-Zeiss-Stiftung."
C. H. Beck, Munich 2014.

Rolf Walter and Wolfgang Mühlfriedel (publisher) ”Carl Zeiss. Geschichte eines Unternehmens.”
Vol. 1: Edith Hellmuth, Wolfgang Mühlfriedel ”Zeiss 1846-1905. Vom Atelier für Mechanik zum führenden Unternehmen des optischen Gerätebaus.”
Weimar 1996.
Vol. 2: Rolf Walter ”Zeiss 1905-1945.”
Weimar 2000.
Vol. 3: Wolfgang Mühlfriedel, Edith Hellmuth ”Carl Zeiss in Jena 1945-1990.”
Weimar 2004.

Edith Hellmuth, Wolfgang Mühlfriedel ”Carl Zeiss”
(Political Education Authority, Thuringia. Blätter zur Landeskunde, 1996).

NN ”Carl Zeiss – from Jena to Oberkochen.”
Issue 8 in the series ”Die deutsche Frage im Unterricht”, Regional Center for Political Education in Baden-Württemberg, Stuttgart 1986.

Group of authors: ”Carl Zeiss Jena – Einst und jetzt.”
Rütten & Lohnig, Berlin 1962.

Friedrich Schomerus ”Geschichte des Jenaer Zeisswerkes 1846–1946.”
Piscator publishers, Stuttgart, 1952.

Moritz von Rohr ”Zur Geschichte der Zeissischen Werkstätte bis zum Tode Ernst Abbes.”
Jena 1936 (Reprint from ”Forschungen zur Geschichte der Optik.” Vol. 2, (booklet to accompany the Journal of Physical Instruments) Julius Springer publisher, Berlin 1930, 1936).

Felix Auerbach ”Das Zeisswerk und die Carl-Zeiss-Stiftung in Jena. Ihre wissenschaftliche, technische und soziale Entwicklung und Bedeutung.”
Jena 1903, 1904, 1914, 1925.
Betram Kurze ”Industriearchitektur eines Weltunternehmens Carl Zeiss 1880–1945” (Thuringian Office for the Preservation of Historical Monuments and Archeology. New edition 24) Erfurt, 2006.

Franz-Ferdinand Falkenhausen, Ute Leonhardt, Otto Haueis and Wolfgang Wimmer ”Carl Zeiss in Jena 1846 bis 1946.” Photo book, Jena, 2004.

Katharina Schreiner (publisher): ”Schaltkreise. Die Anfänge der Mikroelektronik im VEB Carl Zeiss Jena und ihre Folgen.”
Jena 2004.

Katharina Schreiner (publisher): ”Politkrimi oder Zukunftsmodell? Das ”Neue Ökonomische System” im VEB Carl Zeiss Jena.”
Jena 2002.
Stephan Paetrow "... was zusammen gehört. 20 Jahre Wiedervereinigung von Carl Zeiss."
Hanseatischer Merkur, Hamburg 2011.

City Museum of Jena / Geschichtswerkstatt Jena / State Commissioners of the Free State of Thuringia for the Records of the State Security Service of the former German Democratic Republic (publisher): Die Friedliche Revolution in Jena. Gesichter des Herbstes 1989. Eine Ausstellungsdokumentation. Kranichfeld 2010. Contains the DVD: Contemporary Witness Documentation "Gesichter der Friedlichen Revolution - Jena 1989–2009 (Befragung von Zeitzeugen).

Hans-Werner Kreidner: Wendezeiten – Jena. Erfurt 2009. 128 pages, 228 photographs.

Jürgen Hohmuth. Zeitbilder. Jena 1988/1989. Berlin 2009.

Katharina Schreiner, Klaus-Dieter Gattnar, Horst Skoludek: Carl Zeiss Ost und West. Geschichte einer Wiedervereinigung. Jena 2006. 356 pages.

Armin Hermann ”Und trotzdem Brüder. Die deutsch-deutsche Geschichte der Firma Zeiss.” Piper, München 2002. 568 pages.

Beate Naffin: Carl Zeiss “Zeiss in Not.” Konzern und Krise – Kampf und Kritik”. Published by IG Metall Aalen. Vol. 4 of the series “Menschen kämpfen für Arbeitsplätze.“ Aalen 2002. 144 pages.

Armin Hermann: Jena und die Jenoptik. Vom Kombinat zum Global Player. Düsseldorf and Munich 1998. 285 pages.
Klaus Mütze ”Die Macht der Optik : Industriegeschichte Jenas 1846–1996.”
Vol. 1: Vom Atelier für Mechanik zum Rüstungskonzern 1846-1946” Jena 2004.
Vol. 2: 1946-1996: Vom Rüstungskonzern zum Industriekombinat. Vermächtnis, Erkenntnis, Experiment und Fortschritt. Jena 2009.

Armin Hermann ”Carl Zeiss – Die abenteuerliche Geschichte einer deutschen Firma.”
Series Piper No. 1265, Piper publishers, Munich 1992.

Armin Hermann ”Nur der Name war geblieben – Die abenteuerliche Geschichte der Firma Carl Zeiss”
Deutsche Verlagsanstalt, Stuttgart 1989.

Wolfgang Held ”Die gläserne Fackel.”
Leipzig 1989.

Heinz Sponsel ”Made in Germany. Die dramatische Geschichte des Hauses Zeiss.”
Gütersloh 1957.

Fritz Scheffel ”Gläserne Wunder. Drei Männer schaffen ein Werk. Zeiss Abbe Schott.”
Munich 1938.
Carl Zeiss
Stephan Paetrow and Wolfgang Wimmer "Carl Zeiss 1816–1881. Eine Biografie."
Böhlau, Cologne 2016.

Rüdiger Stolz und Joachim Wittig (publisher) ”Carl Zeiss und Ernst Abbe. Leben, Wirken und Bedeutung.”
Jena 1993.

Horst Alexander Willam ”Carl Zeiss 1816–1888.”
Verlag F. Bruckmann K.G., München 1967.

Paul G. Esche ”Carl Zeiss. Life and Work.”
Jena 1966.

Erich Zeiss und Friedrich Zeiss ”Hof- und Universitätsmechanikus Dr. h.c. Carl Zeiss.”
Sippenverband der Familien Zeiß 1966.

Harald Volkmann ”Carl Zeiss und Ernst Abbe, ihr Leben und ihr Werk.”
Deutsches Museum – Abhandlungen und Berichte,
Verlag von R. Oldenbourg, München, VDI-Verlag GmbH, Düsseldorf, 1966, Heft 2

Ernst Abbe: Werke
Volker Wahl and Joachim Wittig (publsiher): Ernst Abbe. Briefe an seine Jugend- und Studienfreunde Carl Martin und Harald Schütz, 1858 - 1865.
Berlin 1986.

H. Kühnert (publisher): ”Briefe und Dokumente zur Geschichte des VEB Optik Jenaer Glaswerk Schott & Genossen
I. Teil: Die wissenschaftliche Grundlegung (Glastechnisches Laboratorium und Versuchshütte), 1882-1884.”
Jena 1953
II. Teil - Der Übergang zur industriellen Produktion (Von der Versuchsglashütte zum 1. Produktionsverzeichnis), 1884-1886.”
Jena 1957.

H. Kühnert (publisher): ”Der Briefwechsel zwischen Otto Schott und Ernst Abbe über das optische Glas 1879–1881.”
Jena 1946

Ernst Abbe ”Gesammelte Abhandlungen.”
Vol. 1: ”Abhandlungen über die Theorie des Mikroskops.”
Verlag G. Fischer, Jena 1904.
Vol. 2: ”Wissenschaftliche Abhandlungen aus verschiedenen Gebieten. Patentschriften. Gedächtnisreden.”
Verlag G. Fischer, Jena 1906.
Vol. 3: ”Vorträge, Reden und Schriften sozialpolitischen und verwandten Inhalts”
Verlag G. Fischer, Jena 1906.
Vol. 4: ”Arbeiten zum Glaswerk zwischen 1882 und 1885.”
Verlag G. Fischer, Jena 1928.

Ernst Abbe: Biografien
Bernd Dörband, Henriette Müller: Ernst Abbe, das unbekannte Genie. Spurensuche in Jena, Eisenach, Göttingen und Frankfurt am Main.
Jena 2005.

Kerstin Gerth, Wolfgang Wimmer ”Ernst Abbe. Wissenschaftler, Unternehmer, Sozialreformer.”
Jena 2005 (English and German).

Rüdiger Stolz und Joachim Wittig (publisher) ”Carl Zeiss und Ernst Abbe. Leben, Wirken und Bedeutung.”
Jena 1993.

Harald Volkmann ”Carl Zeiss und Ernst Abbe, ihr Leben und ihr Werk.”
Deutsches Museum – Abhandlungen und Berichte,
Verlag von R. Oldenbourg, Munich, VDI-Verlag GmbH, Düsseldorf, 1966, Heft 2.

N. Günther ”Ernst Abbe, Schöpfer der Zeiss Stiftung.” Wissenschaftliche Verlagsgesellschaft,
Stuttgart 1951.

Moritz von Rohr ”Ernst Abbe.”
Verlag G. Fischer, Jena 1940.

Felix Auerbach ”Ernst Abbe – Sein Leben, sein Wirken, seine Persönlichkeit.”
Akadem. Verlagsgesellschaft Leipzig 1918.
Werner Plumpe (publisher) "Eine Vision. Zwei Unternehmen. 125 Jahre Carl-Zeiss-Stiftung."
C. H. Beck, Munich 2014.

Christoph Matthes "Finanzier, Förderer, Vertragspartner. Die Universität Jena und die optische Industrie (1886 - 1971)"
Böhlau, Cologne, Weimar, Vienna 2014.

Sebastian Demel "Auf dem Weg zur Verantwortungsgesellschaft. Ernst Abbe und die Carl-Zeiss-Stiftung im deutschen Kaiserreich."
Wallstein, Göttingen 2014.

Wolfgang Wimmer "Das Verhältnis von Carl-Zeiss-Stiftung und Zeisswerk zur Universität bis 1933. In: Matthias Steinbach/Stefan Gerber (publisher), „Klassische Universität“ und „akademische Provinz“. Studien zur Universität Jena von der Mitte des 19. bis in die dreißiger Jahre des 20. Jahrhunderts, Jena/Quedlinburg 2005, p. 59-76.

K. Theiss ”Die Stiftung als Organisationsform der Unternehmung – unter Berücksichtigung praktischer Beispiele.”
Diplomarbeit, Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg i. Br. 1964.

Friedrich Schomerus ”Werden und Wesen der Carl-Zeiss-Stiftung.”
G. Fischer Verlag, Stuttgart, 2nd edition 1955.

W. David ”Die Carl-Zeiss-Stiftung, ihre Vergangenheit und ihre gegenwärtige rechtliche Lage.”
Heidenheim 1954.
Optics, general
Emil-Heinz Schmitz ”Handbuch zur Geschichte der Optik.”
part 1 - 5 and supplementary volumes I - III. Wayenborgh, Bonn 1981 to 1995.

S. Czapski and O. Eppenstein ”Grundzüge der Theorie der optischen Instrumente nach Abbe.”
3rd edition, Verlag J. A. Barth, Leipzig 1924.

Microscopy
Dieter Gerlach ”Geschichte der Mikroskopie.”
Frankfurt 2009.

Lawrence J. Gubas "A Survey of Zeiss Microscopes 1846-1945."
Las Vegas (USA) 2009.

Güter Döderlein ”Zur Geschichte des Mikroskops.”
Oberkochen 1979.

Hugo Freund und Alexander Berg ”Geschichte der Mikroskopie”
(vol. 1: ”Biologie”) Frankfurt/Main 1963.

Camera lenses
Hartmut Thiele ”Carl Zeiss Jena - Entwicklung und Beschreibung der Photoobjektive und ihre Erfinder. Optikkonstrukteure und Rechner, Objektivversuche von 1912 bis 1990, Beschreibung aller Typen, Einsatz der Objektive." private print, 2nd edition, Munich 2007.

Hartmut Thiele ”Legenden und Geschichten der Photoindustrie. Ein Blick hinter die Kulissen von Ernst Leitz, Carl Zeiss und der Deutschen Photoindustrie". private print, Munich 2006.

Hartmut Thiele ”Fabrikationsbuch Photooptik I. Carl Zeiss Jena. Photoobjektive und Fertigungsnummern, Fertigungszeiten, Mengen und Lieferungen an die Kameraindustrie von 1890 bis 1928.” private print, 4th extended edition, Munich 2012.

Hartmut Thiele ”Fabrikationsbuch Photooptik II. Carl Zeiss Jena. Alle Photoobjektive, Prototypen, Spezialobjektive, Fertigungsnummern, Fertigungszeiten, Mengen und Lieferungen an die Kameraindustrie von 1927 bis 1991.”
private print, 3rd edition, Munich 2005.

Hartmut Thiele ”Fabrikationsbuch Photooptik III. Carl Zeiss Oberkochen. Photoobjektive und Fertigungsnummern, Fertigungszeiten, Mengen und Lieferungen an die Kameraindustrie von 1948 bis 1996.” private print, 3rd edition, Munich 2009.

Telescopes, binoculars
Hans T. Seeger "Zeiss-Feldstecher. Handferngläser von 1919 - 1946, Modelle - Merkmale - Mythos.
"Hamburg, 2015.

Hans T. Seeger "Zeiss-Feldstecher. Handferngläser von 1894 - 1919, Modelle - Merkmale - Mythos."
Hamburg, 2010.

Lawrence J. Gubas ”An Introduction to the binocoulars of Carl Zeiss Jena from 1893 - 1945”.
Lightning Press, NJ, 2004.

Hans T. Seeger ”Militärische Ferngläser und Fernrohre in Heer, Luftwaffe und Marine.”
Hamburg 1996, 2nd extended edition 2002.

Rolf Riekher ”Fernrohre und ihre Meister.”
Berlin 2rd edition, 1990.

Hans T. Seeger ”Feldstecher. Ferngläser im Wandel der Zeit.”
Hamburg 1987.

Günter Döderlein ”Zur Geschichte des Fernrohrs.”
Oberkochen 1981.

Albert König und Horst Köhler ”Die Fernrohre und Entfernungsmesser.”
Berlin 3rd edition, 1959.

H.C. King ”The History of the Telescope.”
London 1955.

Brille
Stephan Paetrow "Besser sehen. Die Carl Zeiss Augenoptik 1912 - 2012."
Hanseatischer Merkur, Hamburg 2012.

Günter Döderlein ”Zur Geschichte der Brille.”
Oberkochen 1978.

Gerhard Kühn und Wolfgang Roos ”Sieben Jahrhunderte Brille.”
(Deutsches Museum: ”Abhandlungen und Berichte” 36, Heft 3, Munich 1968.

Photogrammetry
Dierk Hobbie: Die Entwicklung photogrammetrischer Verfahren und Instrumente bei Carl Zeiss in Oberkochen.
Deutsche Geodätische Kommission, Reihe E, 2010.

Rudolf Schumann: Die Entwicklung der photogrammetrischen Geräte in Jena von der Jahrhundertwende bis zum Jahr 1945. In: Klaus Szangolies (publisher): Kompendium Photogrammetrie XVIII. Leipzig 1986.

Planetariums
Karsten Gaulke and Reimund Torge ”Sterne aus Jena.”
(Deutsches Museum: ”Meisterwerke aus dem Deutschen Museum.” Bonn 1997, p. 28-31).

Ludwig Meier ”Der Himmel auf Erden. Die Welt der Planetarien.”
Leipzig, Heidelberg 1992.

Charles F. Hagar ”Planetarium. Window to the Universe.”
Oberkochen 1980.
All articles of the Jenaer Jahrbuch from 1999 onwards can be found on the publisher's pages:

Technik-Geschichte in Jena e.V.

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