Unlock the knowledge hidden in your collections.
Behind every object in your museum is a paper trail — specimen labels, artist letters, curatorial notes, provenance records. Transkribus reads these handwritten documents and makes them searchable, connecting the stories behind your collections.
Used by the Museum für Naturkunde Berlin, Europeana, and museums worldwide
AI text recognition for every type of museum document
From specimen labels to artist correspondence — Transkribus handles the unique challenges of museum collections.
Specimen Labels & Natural History
Handwritten herbarium sheets, mineral labels, entomological records — AI reads the collectors' notes and makes millions of specimens findable.
Artist & Scholar Correspondence
Letters between artists, scientists, patrons, and dealers reveal the stories behind masterpieces and discoveries. Make entire correspondence archives searchable.
Curatorial Archives
Acquisition ledgers, exhibition planning notes, conservation records — decades of institutional memory, now digitally accessible.
Provenance Research
Handwritten dealer records, auction annotations, ownership inscriptions — accelerate provenance verification and compliance documentation.
Maritime & Exploration Records
Ship logs, expedition journals, navigation records — transcribe centuries of maritime heritage with AI.
Citizen Science & Transcribathons
Engage volunteers in transcription campaigns. AI pre-transcribes, volunteers verify — reaching 99%+ accuracy together.
From handwritten labels to structured data
Connecting collections across Europe
Museums using Transkribus
From natural history specimens to maritime exploration — see how museums and cultural institutions are using AI to unlock their collections.
AI in Museums: Three Case Studies
Museum für Naturkunde Berlin, Musée des Hospitalières Montréal, and Sweden’s National Museums of World Culture.
Specimen Labels at MfN Berlin
A custom AI model trained on two centuries of handwritten specimen labels.
Maritime Archives with AI
Three projects that opened up centuries of maritime heritage with AI transcription.
Europeana Partnership
Making Europe’s handwritten cultural heritage accessible through AI and citizen science.
Museum collections online
These museum projects already publish their transcribed collections as searchable Transkribus Sites.
GermanyMfN - Berlin´s Australian Archive
Berlin's Australian Archive. Addressing the Colonial Legacies of Natural History.Content WarningThe Museum für Naturkunde Berlin (MfN) offers free and open a...
Published Jan 2024
AustriaEduard Hackel and his Italian correspondents
Naturhistorisches Museum Wien
In the late 1800s to early 1900s, thanks to the developments of the postal services that made correspondence increasingly easier and quicker, there was an in...
Published Jul 2025Your museum here
Publish your transcribed collections as a searchable Transkribus Site — no web development needed.
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We handle the entire project for you
Let’s unlock your museum’s hidden knowledge.
Managed project or self-service — we are happy to discuss both.