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The Photo Department of the Press- and Information Office of the Federal Government (BPA)
Maintenance on October 29, 09:00 to October 30, ca. 18:30 CET!
Registration and order and download of pictures from the Digital Picture Archives of the Federal Archives and the Press- and Information Office of the Federal Government (BPA) is due to maintenance procedures on October 29 from 09:00 CET to October 30, ca. 18:30 CET not available.
We apologize for any inconvenience!
The Photo Department of the Press- and Information Office of the Federal Government (BPA) offers photo motives of political events featuring the Federal Chancellor, the Federal Ministers as well as the Federal President. This photo shots are used for the public relation relations and public diplomacy activities of the Federal Government.
The Photo Department provides approximately. two million photos. The archive is constantly kept up to date – about 1200 political events such as state visits, signing of treaties and ceremonial affairs are continuously documentated. The archive is supplemented by purchasing and/or acquiring of photos shots or picture archives in private ownership. Best examples are here the archives of Richard Schulze-Vorberg and George Munker.
The photo material is used by the BPA, the Federal Ministries and the German Embassies abroad for the publication of informative brochures, general publications and internet articles.
The photos are available for the usage in newspaper or, magazines although usually a license fees required.
Presently over 400.000 photos reaching back to 1949 are stored in the data base .
You may directly screen about thousands photos for your business purposes. Our service additionally includes the research with database of the Federal Archives which are connected.
You can retrievial the pictures with a full text search, extensive search by subject, person or locality (topic search).
Note: Images of well-known personalities may only be published with their names and only editorially; any conflicting legitimate interests of the person(s) depicted within the meaning of Section 23 (2) of the German Art Copyright Act (KUG) must be respected by the user.
Search possibilities of the database
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Search by topic
More information on the research options:
Should the data base not provide you with the information or motif you need, please, feel free to contact us. If your needs can be satisfied, you may at your cost ask us to digitise the pictures concerned and use them after import into the data base.
Terms of use of the database
You may use the data base without registration. Any download of reproducible pictures without water-mark is possible for registered researchers at their cost.
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Indications for the registration can be found in the "FAQ".
FAQ
On the left part of this page, the info box »Recently imported pictures« will inform you on newly added pictures.
A compilation of our pictures can be found under the heading »Collections« on the left part of this page, too.
You may establish picture collections at your own (»Notepad«). Storage of picture collections is
More information about
Terms of use
Download: form "request for use" (pdf-file).
Costs / Fees
Technical note
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Information that was originally on or with the picture. Hint: The original title is shown to the full extent! Especially pictures from the fonds »Bild 101 Propagandakompanien der Wehrmacht« and »Bild 183 ADN« may contain ideologically influenced or later added texts which sometimes do not correctly describe the pictures content or the original situation. See also »Archive title and »Short title.