Transcripts of Old German Writing
Genealogy has been popular for a very long time. It is fascinating to find out about our own history.
When it comes to old German documents – printed or hand-written – the particular writing styles may pose yet another challenge.
Kurrent
One of the old German scripts is ‘Kurrent’. Based on late medieval cursive writing, it was mainly used until the first part of the 20th century.
Sütterlin (Suetterlin)
This script, also known as the ‘deutsche Schrift’, was created by the German graphic artist Ludwig Sütterlin (1865–1917) and was taught at German schools from 1915–1941. Technically, Sütterlin is just a variation of the older Kurrent script.
Fraktur
Fraktur is calligraphy style that emerged in Germany during the 16th century. It is a version of the 12th century French blackletter style of writing and became the standard way to write in many parts of Europe. The name Fraktur comes from Latin and means ‘fractured’ or ‘broken script.