Virtual Workshop

Learn to Read the Old German Script:
Letters and Personal Documents
April 11, 2026, 10:00 am to 2:00pm Central Time

Registration is required by April 9, 2026 (see below)
A Zoom Link and workshop materials will be emailed to you on April 10, 2026.

Some of the most challenging texts to decipher in the old German Kurrent script are personal documents, such as letters. Readers must not only learn unfamiliar characters but also adapt to individual handwriting styles, archaic vocabulary, varying literacy levels and—when it comes to content—a frequent lack of contextual information.

This workshop is designed for scholars, family historians, students, and anyone curious about Kurrent. Through presentations and practice exercises you will learn how to decipher individual characters, words, and simple texts, even if you do not speak German. We will also discuss common structures and phrases found in personal documents that can help you better understand their content.

Mark L. Louden is the Director of the Max Kade Institute for German American Studies and the Alfred L. Shoemaker, J. William Frey, and Don Yoder Professor of Germanic Linguistics at the University of Wisconsin–Madison.
Antje Petty is the Associate Director of the Max Kade Institute for German American Studies and has extensive experience working with documents in the old German script.

This workshop is cosponsored by the Wisconsin Historical Society.

REGISTRATION FOR THIS WORKSHOP IS CLOSED. 

If you have questions, contact Antje Petty (apetty@wisc.edu).