diff --git a/backend/src/main/java/org/raddatz/familienarchiv/timeline/TimelineService.java b/backend/src/main/java/org/raddatz/familienarchiv/timeline/TimelineService.java
index 50b008bd..f55ccd91 100644
--- a/backend/src/main/java/org/raddatz/familienarchiv/timeline/TimelineService.java
+++ b/backend/src/main/java/org/raddatz/familienarchiv/timeline/TimelineService.java
@@ -12,6 +12,7 @@ import org.raddatz.familienarchiv.person.Person;
 import org.raddatz.familienarchiv.person.PersonService;
 
 import org.springframework.stereotype.Service;
+import org.springframework.transaction.annotation.Transactional;
 
 import java.util.ArrayList;
 import java.util.Comparator;
@@ -56,7 +57,14 @@ public class TimelineService {
      * Assembles the timeline for the given filter. All filters are ANDed.
      * Throws {@link DomainException} (bad request) when fromYear > toYear.
      * Throws {@link DomainException} (not found) when personId refers to an unknown person.
+     *
+     * <p>{@code @Transactional(readOnly=true)} is required here — unlike simple scalar reads,
+     * this method accesses lazy collections ({@link TimelineEvent#getPersons()},
+     * {@link org.raddatz.familienarchiv.document.Document#getReceivers()}) after the
+     * repository sub-transaction closes. Without this annotation those accesses throw
+     * {@link org.hibernate.LazyInitializationException} in production (constitution §1.6).
      */
+    @Transactional(readOnly = true)
     public TimelineDTO assemble(TimelineFilter filter) {
         if (filter.fromYear() != null && filter.toYear() != null
                 && filter.fromYear() > filter.toYear()) {
diff --git a/backend/src/test/java/org/raddatz/familienarchiv/timeline/TimelineServiceLazyLoadTest.java b/backend/src/test/java/org/raddatz/familienarchiv/timeline/TimelineServiceLazyLoadTest.java
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..39c25fd3
--- /dev/null
+++ b/backend/src/test/java/org/raddatz/familienarchiv/timeline/TimelineServiceLazyLoadTest.java
@@ -0,0 +1,72 @@
+package org.raddatz.familienarchiv.timeline;
+
+import org.junit.jupiter.api.Test;
+import org.raddatz.familienarchiv.PostgresContainerConfig;
+import org.raddatz.familienarchiv.document.DatePrecision;
+import org.raddatz.familienarchiv.person.Person;
+import org.raddatz.familienarchiv.person.PersonRepository;
+import org.springframework.beans.factory.annotation.Autowired;
+import org.springframework.boot.test.context.SpringBootTest;
+import org.springframework.context.annotation.Import;
+import org.springframework.test.context.ActiveProfiles;
+import org.springframework.test.context.bean.override.mockito.MockitoBean;
+import org.springframework.transaction.support.TransactionTemplate;
+import software.amazon.awssdk.services.s3.S3Client;
+
+import java.time.LocalDate;
+import java.util.HashSet;
+import java.util.Set;
+import java.util.UUID;
+
+import static org.junit.jupiter.api.Assertions.assertDoesNotThrow;
+
+/**
+ * Verifies that {@link TimelineService#assemble} does not throw
+ * {@link org.hibernate.LazyInitializationException} when events have linked persons.
+ *
+ * <p>No class-level {@code @Transactional} — each test method runs without an outer
+ * transaction, matching production behaviour (controller has no {@code @Transactional}).
+ * If {@code assemble()} lacks {@code @Transactional(readOnly=true)}, accessing
+ * {@code ev.getPersons()} on detached entities throws LazyInitializationException.
+ */
+@SpringBootTest(webEnvironment = SpringBootTest.WebEnvironment.NONE)
+@ActiveProfiles("test")
+@Import(PostgresContainerConfig.class)
+class TimelineServiceLazyLoadTest {
+
+    @MockitoBean
+    S3Client s3Client;
+
+    @Autowired
+    TransactionTemplate transactionTemplate;
+
+    @Autowired
+    TimelineService timelineService;
+
+    @Autowired
+    TimelineEventRepository timelineEventRepository;
+
+    @Autowired
+    PersonRepository personRepository;
+
+    @Test
+    void assemble_does_not_throw_when_event_has_linked_persons() {
+        UUID actorId = UUID.randomUUID();
+        // Commit outside any test-managed transaction so entities are detached on return
+        transactionTemplate.execute(status -> {
+            Person person = personRepository.save(Person.builder().lastName("Müller").build());
+            timelineEventRepository.save(TimelineEvent.builder()
+                    .title("Linked event")
+                    .type(EventType.HISTORICAL)
+                    .eventDate(LocalDate.of(1914, 7, 28))
+                    .precision(DatePrecision.DAY)
+                    .createdBy(actorId)
+                    .updatedBy(actorId)
+                    .persons(new HashSet<>(Set.of(person)))
+                    .build());
+            return null;
+        });
+
+        assertDoesNotThrow(() -> timelineService.assemble(new TimelineFilter(null, null, null, null, null)));
+    }
+}