Karl Popper Archives at Klagenfurt University, Austria

The Karl Popper Archives, before 2022 known as the Karl Popper Collection, are an archive dedicated to the research on Popper. It is located in the University Library of the University of Klagenfurt in Austria and holds Popper’s books, correspondence, manuscripts and other writings. The material was acquired from the philosopher’s estate in 1995 and since 2000, the documents are available for researchers. The Archives are also open for interested visitors and offer guided tours.

(Credit: The Karl Popper Archives at Klagenfurt University; shared under under a Creative Commons BY-SA license.)
The tables and chairs come from Karl Popper’s household. They were acquired by the Karl Popper Archives in 1995. The wooden chairs with heart shaped holes were made by a carpenter according to Sir Karl’s wishes — and they offer a very comfortable seat, although they may not look that way.

The Karl Popper Archives maintains the “International personal bibliography of Karl R. Popper.” It consists of two documents with associated indices: “Writings of Karl Popper”, a list of Popper’s published works, and “Writings on Popper and His Work”, a list of works published on him since 1932. A new version of the bibliography is released two times per year. The latest versions can be found here and here respectively.

Since 2008, the University of Klagenfurt holds the rights concerning Karl Popper’s work. Since that time, the Karl Popper Archives has acted as the institution responsible for translations and new editions of Popper’s work.

Note that the Karl Popper Archives and the Karl Popper Foundation are two independent institutions even though there are personal and thematic overlaps. The Archives are a part of the University Library — a research archive — and the Foundation is an organization, taking care of public activities in the spirit of Karl Popper writings and his philosophy of Critical Rationalism.

For more details, check out the website of the Karl Popper Archives.

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