The Legler Foundation for Economic and Social History in Bergamo stemmed from the merger between the Legler Family Foundation – a cultural institute promoted by Fredy Legler in the early 1990s in order to leave a strong legacy about Cotonificio Legler’s presence on the territory since the nineteenth century – and the Foundation for Economic and Social history of Bergamo, created in 1994 asa benchmark for the research and promotion of economic and business culture.

The Foundation’s main aims are the protection, conservation and enhancement of the archives of companies operating in the Orobic territory. It preserves several archives that since the early 2000s have been declared of considerable historical interest by the Archival Superintendent for Lombardy. They encompass the Legler Cotton Mill, the Festi Rasini Manufacture, the Zopfi Cotton Mill, the Rudelli Wollen Mill, and Credito Bergamasco bank.

It also manages the archives of the “Banca Popolare di Bergamo”, Italcementi , Siad and the Experimental Instituteof models / prototype and structures – Ismes.

Overall the asset consists of 4.6 km of paper records; 25,000 technical drawings, 10,000 photographs, 4,000 sample tyrants, 200 films.

Beyond being a conservation hub for territorial economic archives, the Foundation fosters the study of corporate culture, through scientific publishing and popular events, such as exhibitions, guided tours and training days.