Introduction
The Federal Archives has an extensive collection of authentic sources related to the German colonial era (1884-1918), providing a differentiated view of this history. Many of these documents are available online.
The files of the German Ministry for Colonial Affairs, which administrated the German colonies in Africa and the Pacific from Berlin, are an important part of this collection. Almost all of the nearly 10,000 records from the German Ministry for Colonial Affairs (Reichskolonialamt, R 1001) are accessible online. They provide insight into, for example, political decisions, administrative structures, economic and transport infrastructures, relations with local populations, armed conflicts, research expeditions, missionary work and education systems. The documents can also be used to conduct provenance research on cultural acquisitions from former colonies.
The “leasehold” of Kiaochow in China was the only German colony operated under the authority of the German Imperial Naval Office rather than the German Ministry for Colonial Affairs. Catalogue information on the holdings of the German Imperial Navy Office (Reichsmarinenamt, RM 3) and digital copies of the German Protectorate of Kiaochow (Gouvernement des Schutzgebietes Kiautschou, RM 16) are available online.
Records created by the German authorities in the colonies are generally held in the national archives of the successor states. However, several finding aids and microfilm on this material can be viewed in the Federal Archives in Berlin-Lichterfelde. The Federal Archives are currently making finding aids and archival records of regional colonial authorities available online, beginning with the holdings from Cameroon (Kamerun, R 175) and adding more over time.
Documents from private individuals and entities, such as the New Guinea Company (Neu-Guinea-Compagnie, R 8133) and the Secretary of State for the Colonies, Wilhelm Solf (N 1053), are currently being added to state files. Catalogue information can be found online.
The Federal Archives has also made numerous maps and photographs from the German colonial era available. Explore the Digital Picture Archives and learn more about German colonial history.
