Straubing, Bavaria, Germany Genealogy

History and Geography


Straubing is an independent city in Lower Bavaria, southern Germany. It is the seat of the district of Straubing-Bogen. Annually in August the Gäubodenvolksfest, the second largest fair in Bavaria, is held. It is located on the Danube forming the centre of the Gäuboden.[ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Straubing Wikipedia]


 * The area of Straubing has been continuously settled since the Neolithic.
 * After the fall of the Roman Empire Straubing became a centre of settlement of the Bavarii.
 * In 1218 a new part of the city (called 'new town') was founded by Duke Ludwig I Wittelsbach of Bavaria.
 * Straubing became the capital of the Duchy of Bavaria-Straubing under Duke Wilhelm I when Bavaria was divided among the sons of Louis IV, Holy Roman Emperor in 1349.
 * In 1633, during the Thirty Years' War, the Swedish army successfully besieged the city
 * In 1944 and 1945, Straubing suffered from several American air raids. The local military hospital was destroyed to the extent of 80 percent with a loss of 45 patients.
 * In November 2016 a fire destroyed a greater part of the medieval town hall.

Online Records

 * This link takes you to the familysearch catalogue where there is information about the records available on microfilm from Straubing. They can be viewed at family history centers and affiliate libraries.
 * Bavaria, Germany, WWI Personnel Rosters, 1914-1918 include soldiers from Straubing on Ancestry.com It is sometimes helpful to also do a general search by surname and place.
 * Various records can be found through the Meta-search tool on the website of the German Society for Computer Genealogy
 * Find a Grave has some information from the Straubing cemetery.

Civil Registration
Straubing Standesamt Stetthaimerpl. 11 94315 Straubing Germany City of Straubing

Most civil record offices in Bavaria only have records back to the late 1800's. To find information on family before that it is necessary to go to church records.

Catholic Church Records
St. Peter's Church, Straubing, is a Romanesque basilica in Straubing, Germany. It was built in the second half of the 12th century, and is distinguished by its two sculpted portals. The surrounding graveyard contains a number of funeral chapels, most notably the Totenkapelle, which is decorated with a cycle of paintings depicting the Totentanz (Dance of the Dead) by the Rococo artist Felix Hözl.

St. Peter's Catholic Church
Petersgasse 50A 94315 Straubing Germany

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

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.(I think we paid about 8 Euros per page) 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 usually have much time to assist you....so go planning on spending the first half of the day just figuring out how to use their system. Also, 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 a listing of the records available on microfiche at the Regensburg Catholic Archive. It is organized in alphabetical order of the 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.
 * Information for requesting research by the archive for a fee. You can also communicate with the archive using the above email address. They are very quick to respond and always helpful.
 * The archive will do genealogical research for you. Requests can be made by mail or email. The fee for genealogical research is Euros 35.00 per half an hour plus postage.