Regensburg, Bavaria, Germany Genealogy

History And Geography



 * The region became a part of Bavaria in the late 12th century, when the line of the counts of Regensburg and Stefling came to an end. While Regensburg became a Free Imperial City (meaning subordinate to the emperor only), the surrounding lands were Bavarian property.
 * While the district dates back to medieval times, its present shape was established in 1972. For more information on the history of this area see Wikpedia

Catholic Church Records


There are several Catholic Churches in Regensburg. ( Regensburg's Catholic Churches )They are all worth visiting because of their amazing beauty but not necessary when searching for genealogy because their parish records are at the archive. You can also see the location and information about each of the churches on Google Maps For those with an interest in the genealogy of their Bavarian ancestors the best part of Regensburg is the Catholic Archives. The Diocese of Regensburg is a Roman Catholic ecclesiastical territory seated in Regensburg, Germany. Its district covers parts of northeastern Bavaria; it is subordinate to the archbishop of Munich and Freising. The diocese has 1.22 million Catholics, constituting 81% of its population. The main diocesan church is Saint Peter in Regensburg. The diocese is divided into eight regions and 33 deaneries with 769 parishes.

The parish records of the churches in this area are kept in the Central Catholic Archives in Regensburg.

Regensburg Bischöfliches Zentralarchiv - for most of Oberpfalz St.Petersweg 11-13 D-93047 Regensburg Germany email: archiv@bistum-regensburg.de Website

The records in the Regensburg Catholic Archive are on microfiche which takes time and patience to read. It is necessary to make an appointment to use a film reader. There is a 7 Euro fee per day per person to do research and a charge per document you have copied. This can add up to an expensive way to gather information, however, you can just take a pencil (not an ink pen) and paper and write down what you find. The people that work there don't have much time to assist you, so go planning to use a bit of time becoming familiar with their system. If you complete your research at the end of the day they may not be able to have the documents you need copied until the next day. You can return the next day to pick them up or you can pay them to mail them to your home.
 * List of parish registers This link takes you to an index of the records available on microfiche at the Regensburg Catholic Archive. It is organized in alphabetical order of the cities, towns and villages in the diocese. It also tells you what kind of documents are available in which years. It is good to know that Taufen means baptisms, Trauungen means marriages, and Beerdigungen means burials. There are records in this archive of 6 parishes in Regensburg. This could make it difficult to find your family's records unless you know the part of the city they lived in or the parish they attended. However, there is often an index on microfishe that lists the names of the parish members. That can be very helpful in your search.
 * The archive will do genealogical research for you. Requests can be made by mail or email. The fee for genealogical research is 35.00 Euros per half an hour plus postage. Keep in mind that they are very busy with the many research requests they receive so you must wait until they have time to assist you. This could take months.

Lutheran Church Records
Bavaria was and is predominantly Catholic. If your ancestors lived in Regensburg, there is a chance they affiliated with the Catholic church. However, if you do not find them in Catholic records, you should search the Lutheran records.

According to Meyer's Gazetteer, there have been four Lutheran Parishes in Regensburg since at least 1871. Today there are seven parishes. You can see them on Google Maps and by clicking on one you can see the name and information about that parish.
 * Many records for the Lutheran (Evangelical) churches in Bavaria are digitized and available online through Archion ($). This is not a free site, but requires registration and a membership fee. This link gives instructions on How to Use Archion
 * Legacy Tree provides a detailed description of Archion that you may find valuable in deciding if this is a resource you want to use.
 * The Lutheran Archive for Bavaria is in Nurnberg. It is always a good idea to contact in advance and make an appointment to use an archive.

Veilhofstraße 8 90489 Nurnberg E-Mail: archiv@elkb.de Website

Online Records

 * Various records can be found through the Meta-Genealogy.net tool on the website of the German Society for Computer Genealogy. Enter the name of the town name in the place box, then click search and it will produce an alphabetical list of people from that area that are in the data base. You can do a more specific search by entering a surname, also or just the surname if you don't know yet the birthplace of your ancestor.
 * Bavaria, Germany, WWI Personnel Rosters, 1914-1918 include soldiers from Regensburg on Ancestry.com
 * There is some Regensburg information at Find A Grave It is incomplete at this time, but it's a good idea to check occasionally for additions to the data base. The more information you enter them more specific the result, but add what you know and you may find a treasure!
 * This link takes you to the FamilySearch Catalog where there is information about the records available on microfilm that can be viewed at a Family History Center. There are plans to digitize everything eventually which will make this available online.
 * FamilySearch Historical Records Is also a great resource. Use the search tools in the column on the left to define your search.

Civil Registration
This is a picture of the old Rauthaus in Regensburg. It is an interesting historical site, but no records are kept there.

Below is information on the present Civil Records Office.

Standesant of Regensburg D.-Martin-Luther-Straße 3 93047 Regensburg

Email: standesamt@regensburg.de Mailing address: Postfach 11 06 43 93019 Regensburg Germany

Regensburg Standesamt Website

The Standesamts (Civil Registration Offices) at the Rathaus (Town Hall) in most of Bavaria only have records back to the late 1800's. If you are seeking information concerning your family prior to that time it is necessary to go to church records. But this is definitely a good place to start. It is possible to contact them by mail or email requesting information. If you have an opportunity to go there in person it is best to make an appointment to ensure that the person that oversees the civil records will be available to assist you. Most of the time there will be a fee for a copy of a record.

Cemeteries
There are several large cemeteries in Regensburg. This link can be helpful. However in a city this large walking through cemeteries would be very time consuming, unless you know which cemetery to go to and use the cemetery map to find the grave of your relative. Regensburg Cemeteries