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Official and Unofficial Programme Guides on the Munich Oktoberfest 1810-1936

Founded in 1855 by King Maximilian II, the Bayerisches Nationalmuseum (Bavarian National Museum) ranks among the most significant museums of art and cultural history in Europe. The core stock of artifacts originates in the art collection of the Wittelsbach dynasty. Planned and erected by Gabriel von Seidl in the style of historism, this building with its unique historical interiors is one of the most inventive and significant museums built in the years around 1900.

The Generaldirektion der Staatlichen Archive Bayerns (Directorate General of the Bavarian State Archives) was established in 1970 as a middle-level state office with statewide authority. Subordinated authorities are the Bayerisches Hauptstaatsarchiv (Bavarian Main State Archive) and regional state archives. Duties of the Generaldirektion include the centralized administrative and functional supervision of the Bavarian state archives as well as the evaluation, acquisition, classification and cataloguing of archive items according to consistent standards.

The Bayerisches Landesamt für Denkmalpflege (Bavarian State Office for Historic Preservation) is the Free State of Bavaria's authority for the protection and preservation of Bavaria's cultural heritage. This includes the preservation of all buildings, monuments, objects and sites of historic interest as well as recording and studying them. The State Department for Non-governmental Museums is also subordinated to the Bavarian State Office for Historic Preservation.

The Staatsarchiv Augsburg (Augsburg State Archive) is the government authority for all matters related to archive studies in the administrative district of Swabia. It is the successor institution for the former Staatsarchiv Neuburg an der Donau (State Archive of Neuburg on the Danube), which was transferred into the Swabian capital in autumn of 1989.

The Staatsarchiv Bamberg (Bamberg State Archive) is the government authority for all matters related to archive studies in the administrative district of Upper Franconia (except the town and district of Coburg). It dates back to the archives of the former Prince-Bishopric of Bamberg – ceded to Bavaria in 1802/03 –, to which were added the archives of Bayreuth and Plassenburg that were transferred to Bamberg between 1813 and 1818. In 1841 it was raised to the status of an archive conservatory and in 1875 it was renamed "Kreisarchiv" (District Archive) together with all the other regional state archives, until in 1921 it became the "Staatsarchiv Bamberg".

The Haus der Bayerischen Geschichte (Centre of Bavarian History) was established in 1978 in Augsburg and has been a branch of the Bayerische Staatsministerium für Bildung und Kultus, Wissenschaft und Kunst (Bavarian State Ministry of Education, Science and the Arts) since 1998. The duties of the Haus der Bayerischen Geschichte mainly include providing access to the historical and cultural diversity of Bavaria in all parts of Bavaria as well as enhancing and maintaining the historical awareness in general.

Bavarian Surveying Administration regards itself as a modern service provider with the legal mandate to provide geodata on a national area of approx. 70,000 km² and to make it available to users in the desired form in an up-to-date and cost-effective manner. In addition, the Landesamt für Digitalisierung, Breitband und Vermessung (Agency for Digitisation, High-Speed Internet and Surveying) owns the world's largest archive of lithographic stones with over 26,000 limestone printing plates, which were used until well into the twentieth century for the reproduction and continuation of plans and maps.

The Universitätsbibliothek Regensburg (University Library of Regensburg) is a central facility of the University of Regensburg and at the same time the largest academic library in the region. It is financially supported by the Free State of Bavaria.

Karl Bosl (1908-1993), probably Bavaria’s best-known regional historian, wrote numerous works on the history of Bavaria as well as the "Bayerische Biographie", which provides a quick overview of the biographical data and life stories of individual personalities in Bavarian history from the fields of economics, politics, society, science and art with lexical entries.

Neuschwanstein, Herrenchiemsee, Linderhof – the collection offers a photographic insight into the most beautiful and famous castles and palaces in Bavaria. It shows views of the buildings, gardens and interiors, including furniture and fittings.

The Haus der bayerischen Geschichte (Centre of Bavarian History) picture archive portrays the history of agriculture in Bavaria, the development of farming methods as well as rural customs, popular festivities and leisure activities.

The Bavarica collection from the Bayerische Staatsbibliothek (Bavarian State Library) and the regional state libraries comprises almost all publications issued in Bavaria in the early modern period and the 19th century, as well as all publications with a Bavarian connection worldwide, and is thus unique in its scope and completeness. The service makes it possible to search 78,000 full texts.

The database provides short biographies of the office holders of almost all branches of the Bavarian state administration between November 1918 and May 1945 – from the Minister-President to the directors of the Bayerische Staatsbibliothek (Bavarian State Library). The database was designed and compiled by Joachim Lilla.

The picture archive presents photographs from estates, photo archives and libraries focusing on Bavaria, the Weimar Republic, the Third Reich and other topics such as music, the Orient, Asia and Eastern Europe. Initially founded in 1985 as a portrait collection, the picture archive is one of the largest picture collections in public institutions.

The Bayerische Bibliographie lists all German and foreign-language publications related to Bavaria as fully as possible since 1988, and in some cases earlier. It is a joint project by the Bayerische Staatsbibliothek (Bavarian State Library) with several university and state libraries.

The Kommission für bayerische Landesgeschichte bei der Bayerischen Akademie der Wissenschaften (Commission for Bavarian Regional History at the Bavarian Academy of Sciences) was founded in 1927 as a research institution for the coordination and realisation of long-term basic research on the history of Bavaria and of its diverse parts.

The Staatliches Museum Ägyptischer Kunst (State Museum of Egyptian Art) is one of the most important Egyptian museums worldwide. Its focus is on works of art, in particular the three-dimensional sculptural works of ancient Egypt. All eras, from pre-history over the classical periods of the Old, Middle and New Empires up to the Late Period and the Greek and Roman times are presented by means of monuments. In addition, the cultures of ancient Sudan (Nubia) as well as of the Coptic period of late antiquity are represented, complemented by Egyptianising works of art from the Roman Empire and monumental reliefs from Assyrian Mesopotamia.

bavarikon presents particularly valuable works from the university library holdings, such as the Moosburg Gradual, the Ingolstadt Songbook and the House Book of Michael de Leone.

The Bayerische Staatsgemäldesammlungen (Bavarian State Painting Collections) are responsible for a substantial part of the painting and art collection of the Free State of Bavaria as well as the corresponding museums in Munich: the Alte Pinakothek, the Neue Pinakothek, the Modern Art Collection in the Pinakothek der Moderne, the Schack Collection and thirteen State Galleries throughout Bavaria. The stock includes more than 30,000 works of art, especially Paintings, but also sculptures, photographs and installations.

The Staatliche Münzsammlung (State Coin Collection) originated with Duke Albrecht V von Bayern (1550–1579). In connection with the Kunstkammer founded by Albrecht a collection of coins was started and continued under his successor. The tasks of the Staatliche Münzsammlung include the collecting, conservation, processing and display of the testimonials of monetary history and of related fields for all regions and eras with Bavaria as its important focus.

The Deutsches Theatermuseum (German Theatre Museum) has the task to preserve theatrical/scenic memory through its collections, which are of considerable international importance. Beyond the important tasks of collecting, preserving and analysing, the work of the museum also consists in the dissemination of information about the preserved material to the widest possible audience by way of exhibitions and publications.

The Historischer Verein von Oberbayern (Historical Association of Upper Bavaria) promotes historical scholarship and research on the levels of state, region and city, the preservation of cultural heritage, of history, art and culture, and disseminates the historical knowledge regarding Upper Bavaria to a wide audience. The Association was founded in 1837.

The Deutsches Theatermuseum (German Theatre Museum) owns an extensive collection of drawings and prints depicting Baroque theatre and festive culture, including stage decoration and scene designs, costume and type pictures, portraits of roles and civilians as well as views of theatre buildings, venues and theatrical machinery.

The Landesbibliothek Coburg (Regional Library Coburg) holdings contain important writings by Martin Luther (1483-1546), including his translation of the Bible published in 1534. The Luther Library was established by Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (1819-1861) to commemorate Martin Luther’s stay at Veste Coburg in 1530.

The Stadtarchiv Amberg (municipal archive Amberg) constitutes the communal special agency for all queries concerning archives in the city of Amberg. It is one of the most important communal archives in Bavaria due to the completeness of its holdings.The first document preserved, bestowing or rather confirming the rights of Amberg as a city by Count Palatine Rudolf dates to the year 1294.The series of cartularies was started by the Amberg municipal court in 1379, that of the city council’s cartularies in 1432. The latter continues with small lacunae into the present and offers excellent insights into the city life as well as into the juridical development in Amberg. Collections (photos, placards, maps and plans, local newspapers, historical documentation) complement the records of the Stadtarchiv.

The Landesbibliothek Coburg (Regional Library Coburg) originated in the Ernestine (Thuringian) princely library. Until the end of 1972, it formed part of the institutions of the Coburger Landesstiftung. In 1973, the library was absorbed into the administration of the free state of Bavaria. Since then, the library belongs to the regional state libraries in Bavaria.

Around 12,000 plans and 19,000 photos document rural buildings in Bavaria, the Rhineland Palatinate, Austria, Slovenia and the Czech Republic as they survived into the 20th century and provide information about the architecture, building design and use of the working and living spaces.