Skip to main content

Research by Media Type

A small part of the Federal Archives' holdings is already accessible online in digitized form. The Federal Archives primarily provides information about its archive material via its online research systems. On this page you will find options for researching the Federal Archives sorted by media type.

  • Minutes of the conversation between Erich Honecker and Helmut Kohl on February 13, 1984

    Files

    More than 500 kilometres of files mainly arisen in the 20th century form the core part of the Federal Archives' holdings. These files are described by information on their content and the covered period.

  • Students in a photography group, 1952

    Pictures and posters

    The Federal Archives hold numerous photographs, aerial pictures and posters that document the history of the German state in its political, socio-economic and cultural relations.

  • Excerpt from the cartoon „​​​​​​​Dob, der Stallhase“ (1945)

    Films

    More than 250.000 documentary and feature films on different carrier material are in our collection. Complementary material such as programmes, photos, posters and scripts can also be found.

  • A woman listens to the radio, ca. 1925

    Audio

    The Federal Archives keep more than 46.000 sound carriers, a lot of which are susceptible to deterioration and breakage. In order to safeguard the original sounds, all sound carriers are supposed to be digitised.

  • Constituency map for the election of the German National Assembly on January 19, 1919 (detail)

    Maps

    More than 1.9 million of maps, plans and technical drawings form another huge part of the Federal Archives' holdings. Most of these maps and plans are of military provenance.

  • Bookshelf

    Books and periodicals

    As part of your research, it is often worth taking a look at the holdings of the Federal Archives library. These consist of various types of material.