Global HeritageRegistry
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You are in the Kenya register Administered from Berlin, Germany Searches, applications and permissions apply to this jurisdiction.

International register of historical objects · Since 1968

Every historical object has a custodian. We keep the record.

Global Heritage Registry documents significant objects — their identity, condition and provenance — and records each lawful change of custody, one jurisdiction at a time.

Register an item Transfer custody of a registered item
Front view Fig. 1 · Overall view
Courthouse dial clock
GHR-KE-1969-00002
Registered
Maker
T. Marlowe & Co., LondonVerified
Date
1938Verified
Custody events
4 recordedApplicant-submitted
A live record from the Kenya register, as the public sees it.

How the registry operates

From object to permanent record

Read the full process
  1. i.

    Document the object

    The custodian records identification, measurements and photographs — including the maker’s plate or serial number, where one exists.

  2. ii.

    Evidence the history

    Provenance and acquisition are described as far as they are known. Gaps are recorded as gaps, not filled with guesses.

  3. iii.

    Review and inspection

    A reviewer in the jurisdiction checks the evidence against existing records and, where needed, inspects the object.

  4. iv.

    A permanent reference

    The item receives a reference that stays with it. Every later change of custody is added to the same record.

Applications

Two applications. One continuous record.

Registration creates the record. Succession extends it — so the custody history of an object is never split across files, offices or owners.

Register a historical item For an object not yet on the register. Six short steps, saved as you go; photographs can be taken on your phone. Usually decided within 28 days · Inspection may be requested Apply for succession To record a new custodian after an inheritance, sale, gift, institutional transfer or court order. Requires the item’s registry reference · Evidence depends on the reason Check an object before acquiring it Search by object, maker or reference to see whether an object is registered, and whether its custody is disputed.

Provenance, as recorded

The custody history of GHR-KE-1969-00002

  1. 1938
    T. Marlowe & Co.
    Made and numbered ••••.
    VerifiedSource: Maker’s records
  2. 1942
    Wanjiru Mollel
    Recorded in an inventory at Nairobi.
    Applicant-submittedSource: Family account
  3. 1952
    Despina Georgiou
    Received as a gift by the current custodian.
    Applicant-submittedSource: Family account
  4. 1969
    Despina Georgiou
    Entered on the Global Heritage Registry.
    VerifiedSource: Registry decision

Reading a record

Not every statement carries the same weight

Each fact in a record is marked with how it is known. A claim the registry could not confirm stays visible — clearly labelled — rather than disappearing or being presented as fact.

  • VerifiedConfirmed by a registry reviewer against original evidence or physical inspection.
  • Applicant-submittedProvided by the applicant; not yet independently confirmed.
  • EstimateAn informed estimate, for example a period inferred from style or construction.
  • Unverified claimA historical claim that could not be confirmed from the evidence available.
  • DisputedContested by another party. Under investigation.

Jurisdictions

Separate registers, one standard

Each jurisdiction keeps its own register and reviewers, under its own law of succession. Choose one to search its catalogue and apply there.

East Africa

Southern Africa

West Africa

North Africa

Europe

Americas

Asia–Pacific

Middle East

Status of the registry

What a registration does — and does not — mean

It records custody
A registration states who holds an object and on what evidence. It is not, by itself, proof of legal title.
It is independent
Global Heritage Registry GmbH is a private company based in Berlin, Germany. It is not a government agency and has no offices in the individual jurisdictions; every register is run from Berlin.
It respects local law
Succession follows the law of the jurisdiction where the object is registered. Courts and statutory heritage bodies prevail.
It protects custodians
A private custodian’s name and location are never published without their consent.