Bundesarchiv, Koblenz
- Federal Archives, Koblenz
Address
Phone
Fax
History
The German Reich Archives were set up in Potsdam in 1919 as a subsequent requirement of the Treaty of Versailles. During World War II some holdings were dispersed to avoid destruction, but an air raid in April 1945 destroyed many – particularly military – collections that had not been relocated. In 1952 the central Archives for West-Germany were initially set up in Koblenz, which is now the location of the headquarters of the reunified Federal Archives. The present building of the Bundesarchiv in Koblenz was inaugurated by Federal Chancellor Helmut Kohl in November 1986.
Archival and Other Holdings
Besides the general-directorate and the administrative and technical departments Koblenz holds the Department B (Federal Republic of Germany), which is mainly responsible for the records of the central civil authorities of the Federal Republic of Germany (since 1949) and the western occupation zones (1945–1949). Records about restitution and compensation matters as well as the judiciary prosecution of war crimes after 1945, individual private papers of many leading actors of the “Third Reich” (e.g. Speer, Schacht) as well as almost 12 million pictures including war photographs taken by the propaganda companies of the German army, cartographic material and audio recordings may be relevant holdings for Holocaust researchers in the Koblenz branch of the Bundesarchiv.
Finding Aids, Guides, and Publication
Research within the records of the Bundesarchiv can be exercised through finding aids (books, file index) and/or the huge database called Invenio which is accessible online under: https://invenio.bundesarchiv.de/
A specialized search within the Digital Picture Archives of the Federal Archives is available under the URL: http://www.bild.bundesarchiv.de/index.php?switch_lang=en
All information about using records or services of the Bundesarchiv is available through the website: http://www.bundesarchiv.de/benutzung/index.html.en
Archival User Service can be reached by telephone: +49 (0)261/505-383
In order to browse through an overview of Bundesarchiv holdings until 1945 by tectonic hierarchy see the Beständeübersicht: https://portal.ehri-project.eu/virtual/de-002429-bestandeubersicht
Opening Times
Archives Monday - Thursday: 9am - 6pm and Friday: 9am - 4pm
Conditions of Access
There are about 70 workplaces for the use of archival materials and microfilms.
Copies
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United States Holocaust Memorial Museum holds copies of Holocaust-relevant archives from Bundesarchiv (Germany)
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The collection "German Intelligence Service (Bundesnachrichtendienst, BND): Records related to War Crime Trials, German Federal Archives Koblenz (BND B 206)" was copied from Bundesarchiv, Koblenz
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The collection "Trials against Germans in the foreign countries of Europe: Reference files of Counselors" was copied from Bundesarchiv, Koblenz
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United States Holocaust Memorial Museum holds copies of Holocaust-relevant archives from Bundesarchiv (Germany)