Digitization Requests and Permission for Reproduction

If you would like digital reproductions of archival materials, there are two options for their creation:

• ordering high‑resolution digital reproductions directly from the City Archives (subject to fees)
• taking your own photographs of approved archival materials in our reading room (free of charge)

To order digital reproductions directly from the City Archives, a so‑called "Reprographieantrag" (reprography request) must be completed. The request can either be filled out on-site in the reading room while consulting archival materials or completed digitally from home and submitted via the contact form.

Please note that when submitting reprography requests, the correct reference codes must be provided, and it must be clearly identifiable which documents are to be digitized. The blanket digitization of entire files or official registers can, in some cases, become very costly. We are happy to provide a cost estimate in advance. The amount of the fees is determined in accordance with the City Archives’ schedule of fees. Orders from abroad must be paid in advance.

The publication and re‑use of digital reproductions and information from archival materials is generally free of charge (see § 13 of the User Regulations). There is no need to submit a reproduction request to the City Archives, nor are any reproduction fees incurred. Only the following three points must be observed when re‑using or publishing materials:

• citation of sources in accordance with the guidelines of the City Archives
• indication of any changes made compared to the original
• legitimate interests of affected persons and third parties must be respected where applicable

We always appreciate the voluntary submission of complimentary copies.

For the digitization of building records, please refer to our information on the topic of building records.