Swiss Literary Archives, Memory institution in Kirchenfeld district, Bern, Switzerland.
The Archives preserve handwritten works, letters, diaries, and audiovisual materials from Swiss writers across all four national languages. The collections span primarily the 20th century and document the literary output of multiple generations.
The Swiss Literary Archives opened in 1991 in the building of the Swiss National Library. Their creation followed the will of Friedrich Dürrenmatt, who died in 1990 and left his papers to the Confederation on condition that a national literature archive be established. At its founding the archive absorbed the manuscript department of the then National Library.
The SLA collects literary estates in Switzerland's four national languages: German, French, Italian and Romansh. Its holdings are indexed in HelveticArchives, the Swiss National Library's database, where visitors can search the catalogued papers.
Visitors can consult materials in the reading room of the Swiss National Library, where collections are made accessible with proper support. It helps to check opening hours beforehand, as availability may vary depending on research needs.
The archive's holdings are indexed in HelveticArchives, the Swiss National Library's database, so much of the material can be located before a visit. Its first director, Irmgard Wirtz Eybl, led the institution from 2006 until the end of 2025, when Lucas Marco Gisi took over in 2026.
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