L'Germany (/almaɲ/ ; in Germand : DeutschlandIn long form the Federal Republic of Germanybabbreviated to FRG (in German : Bundesrepublik Deutschlandabbreviated to BRD), is a state in Central Europe, and by some definitions in Western Europe, surrounded by the North Sea, Denmark and the Baltic Sea to the north, Poland to the east-north-east, the Czech Republic to the east-south-east, Austria to the south-south-east, Switzerland to the south-south-west, France to the south-west, Belgium to the south-west and the Netherlands to the east.e and Luxembourg to the west, and the Netherlands to the west-northwest. Germany is a decentralised federal state with four metropolitan areas with more than one million inhabitants: the capital Berlin, Hamburg, Munich and Cologne. The seat of government is located in the city of Berlin and in the federal city of Bonn. Frankfurt am Main is considered the financial capital of Germany: the headquarters of the European Central Bank are located in this city. The official language of the country is German.
Parish registers
Digitised archives of parish registers
The German Church owns the parish registers, i.e. the parishes and the bishop's archives. None of these archives are available in the municipal, state or federal archives. Currently some churches are digitising their archives.
On the link https://www.icar-us.eu/en/cooperation/online-portals/matricula/
Digitized archives of Protestant registers
the Protestant Church of Bavaria has digitised their archives. Access is not free. You have to become a member (35€) per year or create an account (10€ per month).
On the link : https://ahnen-forscher.com/ (in German)
Civil status
Births, marriages and deaths are recorded in German civil registers. In Germany, these registers are not kept by the town halls but by separate civil registry offices. In principle, a civil status event is always recorded in the register of the civil status department of the district in which it occurred.
In general, modern civil status begins in 1876. With a few exceptions and in some Länder: 1792 in Rhineland (French departments under Napoleon),1803 in Hesse-Nassau,1808 in Westphalia,1809 in Hanover,1874 in Prussia.
Registers for very old events are archived at regular intervals: 110 years for birth registers, 80 years for marriage registers and 30 years for death registers.
To consult the archives :
On the link : https://www.archivportal-d.de/ This site (in German) provides access to digital archive documents and information on archival institutions throughout Germany. To consult the archives go to: archive finden (Find the archives), click on Budesland (Federal State), you will be able to specify your search in the archives of the 16 Landers (Federal States of Germany).
On the following link: https://www.bundesarchiv.de/DE/Navigation/Home/home.html You will find the German Federal Archives. To consult the documents go to Benutzen (use) then choose Hinweise zur Benutzung (Instructions for use), click on Akten (Folder), you will find the Federal Archives, which you can consult, such as the state archives of the civil and military central offices from various periods since the time of the Holy Roman Empire. For Stasi documents, see the note at the bottom of this page. In addition to the files of government agencies, the Federal Archives also store official publications, party, club and association documents, collections and estates of historically important personalities from the era of the German Reich, the Weimar Republic, National Socialism, German Democracy and the Federal Republic of Germany. Audiovisual sources have been added to the archive holdings since the end of the 19th century. Unfortunately, due to the effects of the war, some of the oldest stocks are only partially preserved. Partial holdings can also be found in foreign archives.
Federal Archives on the First World War
August 2014 marked the centenary of the outbreak of the First World War. To mark the occasion, the Federal Archives are presenting more than 700,000 digitised pages of First World War records, documents and photographs on numerous individual topics and other research and continuing education offerings related to the First World War.
On the link : https://ersterweltkrieg.bundesarchiv.de/
Letters from Wehrmacht soldiers to their families
The memory of the soldiers of the Wehrmacht rests in Berlin, not far from the former Tempelhof airport, in a red brick building, a relic of Nazi architecture. The Museum of Communication has its quarters and archives there, in particular 16,000 letters sent by soldiers to their relatives.
(extract from the article published in the newspaper l'Express
On the link : https://www.lexpress.fr/culture/livre/lettres-des-soldats-de-la-wehrmacht-a-leurs-familles_1576775.html
Search in the archives of the Länders
The page "German archive libraries with Internet catalogues provides a list of many online catalogues of German archive libraries.
Below you will find a selection of online catalogues of archival libraries that have caught our attention.
On the link : https://www.archivschule.de/DE/home/startseite.html
German Genealogical Associations
Sources :
https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allemagne
https://allemagneenfrance.diplo.de/fr-fr/service-consulaire/-/2264550?openAccordionId=item-2264566-4-panel
https://www.archivportal-d.de/
https://www.bundesarchiv.de/DE/Navigation/Benutzen/Hinweise-zur-Benutzung/Akten/akten.html
https://ersterweltkrieg.bundesarchiv.de/
https://www.lexpress.fr/culture/livre/lettres-des-soldats-de-la-wehrmacht-a-leurs-familles_1576775.html
Iconographic sources :
https://www.slate.fr/economie/87743/allemagne-championne-du-monde-innovation
