Bavarian State Archives Staatliche Archive Bayerns

History and Founding

The Bavarian State Archives (Staatliche Archive Bayerns) form the network of public archives of the Free State of Bavaria, Germany. Their origins extend to the medieval archives of the Bavarian dukes, with the oldest document in the collection dating to 777 AD. Modern institutional organization began in 1799 with archival repositories established in Munich, and the Bavarian Main State Archives (Bayerisches Hauptstaatsarchiv) was formally constituted in 1921 through the merger of three central archives: the Allgemeines Reichsarchiv, the Geheimes Staatsarchiv, and the Geheimes Hausarchiv. The network is governed by the Generaldirektion der Staatlichen Archive Bayerns (Directorate General of the Bavarian State Archives) in Munich.

Collections and Holdings

The Bavarian State Archives collectively hold more than 44 million archival units, occupying over 240,000 running metres of shelving, with approximately 550,000 units added annually. The Main State Archives in Munich alone holds 3.8 million records — deeds, official books, files, hand-drawn maps, photographs, posters, audio, video, and digital records — making it one of the largest document archives in the world. The system comprises nine archives in Amberg, Augsburg, Bamberg, Coburg, Landshut, Munich, Nuremberg, and Würzburg. Holdings span Bavarian state government records from the 9th century to the present, including Wittelsbach dynasty records (Geheimes Hausarchiv), military records of the Bavarian army (Kriegsarchiv, 17th century to 1919), and extensive private archives of prominent families and businesses.

Access and Usage

All nine Bavarian State Archives maintain public reading rooms. Genealogical and scholarly research is free of charge. Online finding aids are available through the Generaldirektion's website and Archivportal-D. The Bavarian State Archives operate a training school for archivists and coordinate archival oversight for public and private archives throughout Bavaria.