Archives in Germany are research depositories that can be genealogical goldmines. There are more than 3,600 archives in Germany, ranging in size from small to large.[1] While the largest archives provide access to a wide range of records, some of the most significant discoveries can occur at smaller archives, either at the state level or at the kreis (county or subdivision) level.
Many German archives have digitized records or are in the process of doing so, allowing anyone in the world the opportunity to access their holdings. Other archives require an in-person visit in Germany, hiring a professional researcher, inquiring with the archive for a potential look-up, or signing up for a subscription service to conduct research.
Numerous MyHeritage collections include records that can be found in archives throughout Germany. These include:
- Germany, Births and Baptisms, 1558-1898 on MyHeritage: 109 million records
- Germany, Marriages, 1558-1929 on MyHeritage: 28 million records
- Germany, Deaths and Burials, 1582-1958 on MyHeritage: 7 million records
- Germany, Prussia, Brandenburg and Posen, Church Books Duplicates, 1794-1874 on MyHeritage: 4.4 million records
- Germans Immigrating to the United States on MyHeritage: 4 million records
You can find more German records on MyHeritage on the Germany collections page.
Research your ancestors on MyHeritage
State Archives
Germany is divided into 16 federal states, each with their own archives. There are countless more archives within each state.
The most useful archives for genealogical research are the state archives (Landesarchiv). These have plenty of civil records, church registers, and other records of interest like maps, local histories, census records, and other historical documents. You'll need to know which modern-day state your family lived in. Some of these include:
- State Archives of Baden-Württemberg (Stuttgart)
- State Archives of North Rhine-Westphalia (Düsseldorf)
- State Archives of Bavaria (Munich)
- State Archives of Saxony (Dresden)
- State Archives of Hesse (Marburg)
- State Archives of Lower Saxony (Hanover)
- State Archives of Brandenburg (Potsdam)
- State Archives of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern (Schwerin)
In addition, look for smaller archives focused on specific places. For example, the Stadtarchiv Blieskastel is invaluable for anyone with family in and around Blieskastel in Saarland. The Meyers Gazetteer can help identify the Standesamt (civil registration office) for your town or village of interest, and then you can check if they have their own archive.
There are also 23 "federal archives", per the Bundesarchiv (Germany's national archives).[2] These federal archives have a legal mandate to secure, preserve, and make archival material records available. Bundesarchiv has a useful map of where to find these facilities. This is a useful guide from Bundesarchiv: Research on Persons and Ancestors. It includes tips on submitting a research request and it describes the types of records you can find through through the federal archives.
Digital Archives
Catholic Church: The largest collection of digitized records that is available to the general public for free is Matricula Online. While it has established a presence in some other countries as well, the bulk of its holdings are for Catholic church records in Germany. The vast collection boasts over 5,000 parishes and counting, as it continues to add new records frequently. These make up tens of thousands of books, a combination of indexed and unindexed images that are sorted by geography.
The easiest way to browse the collection is to first select the Catholic diocese of interest. Then records are broken down by parish, sorted alphabetically under each diocese. You can also search for a place name (town or village), especially useful if you're unsure of the parish. If you don't see a result, you can consult Meyers Gazetteer in case a parish is listed there for your town or village of interest, or to find nearby towns that may be worth locating in the Matricula collection.
It's important to emphasize that new records are being added constantly, so if you don't see your parish, check back another time.
Protestant Church: If you have Lutheran, Evangelical-Reformed or Protestant roots, you'll want to check the digital archive at Archion. This is another enormous collection of parish records that focuses on Protestant denominations, but they also have some Catholic records available. It's a good practice to see if your place of interest is available before subscribing, as there is a free to access Archion's records.
Like Matricula, Archion is frequently adding to its collection with new records.
Death Notices: Familienanzeigen.org has an indexed collection of death notices dating back to the 1960s for throughout Germany. These are searchable by name and for common names, you can include a place name in your search. There are additional databases available for German obituaries.
Emigration: German Roots has a useful collection of online German emigration records, lists, and indexes that are sorted by state or region in Germany.
Family Books: Genealogy.net offers a growing collection of online family books, sorted by state or region, and then place name. These contain millions of names of German citizens, and if you're lucky, you'll find family members such as spouses, children, grandparents, grandchildren, and more. These are excellent resources that often list birth dates, marriage dates, and death dates, as long as they remained in the town that maintained the family book.
Military Service: The Denkmal Projekt has a list of German soldiers who died in service, compiled based on inscriptions of war memorials in towns and villages throughout Germany. It is sorted by state or region, then place name, or you can search by name. You may found the soldiers' birthdate and birth place, and in some cases there are even portrait photos of the individuals.
See also
Explore more about Archives in Germany
- Germany - Collection Catalog at MyHeritage
- MyHeritage Publishes Millions of Exclusive Marriage Records From North Rhine-Westphalia on the MyHeritage blog
- How to successfully research at a German archive webinar at Legacy Family Tree Webinars
- Discover the Holdings of German Archives webinar at Legacy Family Tree Webinars
- Finding Your Ancestors in German Directories webinar at Legacy Family Tree Webinars
References
- ↑ Visiting archives in Germany: a guide to discovering and using them. Bodleian Libraries, University of Oxford.https://libguides.bodleian.ox.ac.uk/archives-in-germany
- ↑ Bundesarchiv, Federal Archives in Germany. https://www.bundesarchiv.de/en/federal-archives/