German
The City Encyclopedia in Transition: Celebrating a Shared Milestone
The event, which took place on May 20, 26, was met with a great response and took place in a special atmosphere “City Encyclopedia in Transition—Analog Becomes Digital” took place. Together with numerous authors of the City Encyclopedia, the Jena Smart City Project was able to celebrate an important milestone for the future of this unique work.
The focus was on the digitization of the City Encyclopedia—a project being implemented as a joint initiative with JenaKultur. The printed reference work is currently being transformed into a dynamic, digital knowledge platform that is continuously expanding and is viewed as a “work in progress.”
The event provided insights into the current status and the next steps—and some particularly good news: In June 2026, the new website will go live with its first texts and will thus be freely accessible to all citizens. The City Encyclopedia is thereby opening up even more to the city’s community and inviting people to rediscover historical knowledge. Information on people, events, institutions, and topics in the city’s history—and more—is pinpointed on the city map and can be contextualized using historical maps.
In addition to the project presentation, the focus was primarily on personal exchange. Many of the authors in attendance shared their perspectives and engaged in lively discussions about the further development of the digital platform.
A special moment was the express thanks given to all contributors: Without the great dedication and professional expertise of the editors and authors, the City Encyclopedia would not have been possible in its current form. This appreciation characterized the entire event.
At the same time, it became clear that the project will continue to evolve in the future. Numerous participants expressed interest in continuing to support the digital City Encyclopedia—as sources of ideas, as advocates, or even through volunteer work. Its further development will continue to be structurally sound, coordinated, and subject to quality assurance.
The event impressively demonstrated that the City Encyclopedia is not a finished book, but a collaborative project that grows, changes, and opens up new perspectives.