Abstract

The Historical Archives of the Politecnico di Milano, open to the public since 2013, house archival collections relating to architecture, design, photography, graphic design and engineering, and tell the story of people who, from the 19th century, distinguished themselves in these fields, in their professional careers and teaching. Alongside material relating to graduates, teaching staff and technical and administrative staff, are held collections which recount the work of figures with no ties with the Politecnico. These archival records – be they graphic designs, volumes, models or manuscripts – reconstruct the story, evolution and development of the projects they document and enable their valorisation. Moreover, the Historical Archives also house the administrative archives of the Politecnico. The analysis of these records allows not only a reconstruction of the institutional life of the Politecnico di Milano from its beginnings, but also an understanding of the historical role of the University and its contribution to the advancement of technical-scientific knowledge.