01
historisch
historical
Relating to history or past events; historically documented.
example
Das Museum zeigt historische Dokumente aus dem 18. Jahrhundert.
The museum displays historical documents from the 18th century.
historisch
historical
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Meanings
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Usage tips
Word family
The adjective 'historisch' (historical) belongs to the word family around 'die Historie' (history as an academic discipline). A person who works in this field is 'der Historiker' (male historian) or 'die Historikerin' (female historian).
EXAMPLE
Ein Historiker erforscht historische Ereignisse.
A historian researches historical events.
Context clue
The meaning of 'historisch' (historical/historic) depends on the context. If it refers to something from the past, it means 'geschichtlich' (historical, e.g. a building). If it describes a current event, it means 'geschichtsträchtig' (historic/momentous, e.g. a victory).
EXAMPLE
Wir besichtigten die historische Altstadt.
We visited the historic old town.
Typical collocations
In the sense of 'relating to the past', 'historisch' (historical) often appears with nouns such as 'Gebäude' (building), 'Dokument' (document), 'Roman' (novel), 'Kontext' (context), or 'Quelle' (source).
EXAMPLE
Für meine Recherche benötige ich historische Quellen aus dem Archiv.
For my research, I need historical sources from the archive.
Typical collocations
When something is described as 'geschichtsträchtig' (historic/momentous), typical combinations are 'ein historischer Moment' (a historic moment), 'ein historischer Sieg' (a historic victory), 'ein historisches Ereignis' (a historic event), or 'eine historische Entscheidung' (a historic decision).
EXAMPLE
Der Fall der Berliner Mauer war ein historisches Ereignis für Deutschland.
The fall of the Berlin Wall was a historic event for Germany.
Compare with
historisch vs vergangen
past
'vergangen' and 'historisch' both have to do with the past. 'vergangen' only says that something is over or happened earlier. This can also be something completely everyday, for example 'die vergangene Woche' (the past week). 'historisch' is used when something belongs to history, is historically documented, or may become especially important for history. Learners may confuse the words because both concern time that has already passed. But not everything that is vergangen is historisch. 'historisch' is more precise when talking about history, old events, or great significance.
historisch
Wir besuchen eine historische Stadt mit alten Mauern und Türmen.
We are visiting a historical city with old walls and towers.
vergangen
In der vergangenen Woche hatte ich viele Termine.
Last week, I had many appointments.
In real life
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