Klaus Roewer, a Freiburg-based historian began searching for documentary material relating to the system change at the beginning of 1990. He arrived in Leipzig that autumn and began utilizing the ‘environmental library’ in what would become the first cornerstone of the Civic Movement Archive in Leipzig. Uwe Schwabe, a native of Leipzig and civil rights activist was responsible for preserving this collection. He was also involved when, on 5 May 1991, former activists from Leipzig's peace, environmental, and human rights movements founded a non-profit charity for the rapidly growing collection. At that time, the collection was housed in Roewer’s apartment.