Online German Gazetteers and Parish Register Inventories

Gazetteer definition: a list of all localities within a given jurisdictions, such as a county, duchy, state, province, or empire. Information provided may vary depending on the original purpose of the publication and may include different government jurisdictions, church parish(es), population-, area,-and tax information, post office, description, history, and more.

Parish register inventory: A listing of parishes within a given jurisdiction. It usually includes information about extant parish registers by type, time period covered, and accessibility.

Below are gazetteers and parish register inventories for Germany

German Empire

 * Meyers Gazetteer (currently not online)
 * The Genealogisches Ortsverzeichnis (GOV)
 * Areas east of the Oder-Neisse rivers
 * For phonetic searches in the area covered by today’s Germany, use the “fuzzy gazetteer”
 * JewishGen gazetteer has several search options, including “contains”. Be sure to change the country and choose a search option.
 * Deutsch-Fremdsprachiges Ortsnamenverzeichnis place name changes for formerly German localities as of June 1919,
 * Orbis Latinus (1909 - English interface) – Latinized place names. Several volumes/editions are available on multiple websites: 1972 four-volume combined set version

Prussia (Preußen)

 * Gemeindelexikon Preußen -

A complete set of the volumes. Browse images by volume.


 * Various volumes of Gemeindelexikon Preußen are also available on GoogleBooks and the DigiBib (Genealogy.net)

REGIONAL
A number of gazetteers and parish register inventories are available in the digital library (DigiBib) of the German Society for Computer Genealogy. The are found under the tab “Digibib”. New titles are added regularly.

Alsace-Lorraine (Elsass-Lothringen)
• Ortschaft-Verzeichnis von Elsass-Lotharingen (1880), see http://books.google.com/books?id=4JJMAQAAIAAJ&amp;printsec=frontcover&amp;source=gbs_ge_summary_r&amp;cad=0#v=onepage&amp;q&amp;f=false • List: Die Orte des Elsass, see http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~fraalsac/alsaceaz/geninfoger.htm • Deutsch-französisches Ortsnamenverzeichnis, see http://www.elsass-lothringen.de/ortenamen.htm • German-French place name list for Alsace, see http://michel.barbier.pagesperso-orange.fr/AlsaLor-DG.html Baden • Das Grossherzogtum Baden in geographischer, naturwissenschaftlicher, geschichtlicher, wirtschaftlicher und staatlicher Hinsicht dargestellt, see http://books.google.com/books/about/Das_Grossherzogtum_Baden_in_geographisch.html?id=GjEBAAAAQAAJ Explanation of symbols and abbreviations see p. 768, alphabetical place name list follows. • http://www.leo-bw.de/themen/ortslexikon does not list parish, but gives history

Bavaria (Bayern)
• „Amtliche Ortsverzeichnisse” (official gazetteers) are available beginning with 1877 and can be downloaded here http://www.bayerische-landesbibliothek-online.de/landesbeschreibungen-orte#1888 • Ortsdatenbank (place name database); entries include links to articles and nice maps, see http://www.bayerische-landesbibliothek-online.de/ortsdatenbank • Bayernatlas regional atlas (modern, very nice!) see http://geoportal.bayern.de/bayernatlas/

Berlin
• http://www.alt-berlin.info/ - street maps • http://www.luise-berlin.de/strassen/indexstr.htm directory of historic and current Berlin street names

Brandenburg
• Quellen zur Bevölkerungsgeschichte in der Mark Brandenburg bis 1945 (2012) by Stefan Rückling, see https://www.yumpu.com/de/document/view/3315714/quellen-zur-bevolkerungsgeschichte-in-der-mark-brandenburg-bis-/3

Bremen
• Geschichte und Landesbeschreibung der Herzogthümer Bremen und Verden (1824); the table of contents is at the end of volume 2. Volume 1 http://books.google.com/books?id=AZcwAAAAYAAJ, Volume 2 http://books.google.com/books?id=pW0AAAAAcAAJ

Brunswick (Braunschweig)
• Place list of the former Duchy of Braunschweig in the Kingdom of Westphalia (1806-1813), (good because of the boundary changes that had happened under Napoleon) see http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ortsverzeichnis_des_ehemaligen_Herzogtums_Braunschweig_im_K%C3%B6nigreich_Westphalen

East Prussia (Ostpreussen)
• Gemeindelexikon Ostpreussen 1905 see http://books.google.com/books/about/Gemeindelexikon_f%C3%BCr_das_K%C3%B6nigreich_Pre.html?id=EcEzAQAAMAAJ • http://wiki-de.genealogy.net/Ostpreu%C3%9Fen/Genealogische_Quellen Inventory of extant genealogical sources, arranged by Kreis

Hamburg
• Ausführliche Nachrichten über die sämmtlichen evangelisch-protestantischen Kirchen und Geistlichen der freyen und Hansestadt Hamburg (1826) – History of Hamburg parishes with lists of pastors. Click on „Inhalt“for a table of contents linked to images. See http://wiki-de.genealogy.net/Ausf%C3%BChrliche_Nachrichten_%C3%BCber_die_s%C3%A4mmtlichen_evangelisch-protestantischen_Kirchen_und_Geistlichen_der_freyen_und_Hansestadt_Hamburg • Topographie des Herzogtums Holstein (1908), includes a chapter on Hamburg, read online or download https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_sWUTAQAAMAAJ

Hannover
• Historische Ortsdatenbank (Historical place name database) Ostfriesland see Topographie des Herzogtums Holstein (1908), includes a chapter on Hamburg, read online or download https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_sWUTAQAAMAAJ • Gemeindelexikon (1908), digitized together with Westfalen and Pyrmont. Hannover is images 1-274, see http://books.google.com/books/about/Gemeindelexikon_f%C3%BCr_die_Provinz_Hannove.html?id=AEfcPgAACAAJ

Hessen
• Kirchenbücher und Standesregister für alle Wohnplätze im Land Hessen (1939), in the DigiBib, see http://wiki-de.genealogy.net/Kirchenb%C3%BCcher_und_Standesregister_f%C3%BCr_alle_Wohnpl%C3%A4tze_im_Land_Hessen_(1939) • Database for today’s Hessen: Historisches Ortslexikon http://lagis.online.uni-marburg.de/de/subjects/index/sn/ol • http://www.lha-rlp.de/uploads/media/Kirchenbuchverzeichnis_uebergreifend.pdf -Rheinhessen and Kurpfalz gazetteer/parish register inventory

Hessen-Nassau
• Database for today’s Hessen: Historisches Ortslexikon http://lagis.online.uni-marburg.de/de/subjects/index/sn/ol • http://wiki-de.genealogy.net/Hessische_Kirchenb%C3%BCcher – list of parish registers already filmed at the Kassel church book archive

Hohenzollern
• Gemeindelexikon Hohenzollern’sche Lande 887 see http://wiki-de.genealogy.net/Hohenzollernsche_Lande/Gemeindelexikon_1887

Lippe-Detmold
• Bilingual (German/English) gazetteer includes parish, civil registration office, post office and more http://www.genealogy.net/reg/NRHE-WFA/lippe_orte-d.html

Lübeck

 * Topographie des Herzogtums Holstein (1908), includes a chapter on the Fürstentum Lübeck, read online or download https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_sWUTAQAAMAAJ

Mecklenburg-Schwerin
• Gazetteer for Mecklenburg-Schwerin and Mecklenburg-Strelitz see https://familysearch.org/learn/wiki/en/Mecklenburg-Schwerin_%E2%80%93_Herzogtum_(duchy)Gazetteers

Mecklenburg-Strelitz
• Gazetteer for Mecklenburg-Schwerin and Mecklenburg-Strelitz see https://familysearch.org/learn/wiki/en/Mecklenburg-Schwerin_%E2%80%93_Herzogtum_(duchy)Gazetteers

Oldenburg
• Gazetteer (table) see https://familysearch.org/learn/wiki/en/Oldenburg_%E2%80%93_Herzogtum_(duchy)Gazetteers • http://www.genealogienetz.de/vereine/OGF/index.html - list of parishes for the 1814 area of Oldenburg, with beginning date for records and expert to contact for help, where available

Palatinate (Pfalz)
• Die Kirchenbücher der Bayrischen Pfalz ( 1925), parish register inventory, see http://wiki-de.genealogy.net/Die_Kirchenb%C3%BCcher_der_bayerischen_Pfalz_(1925) • http://www.lha-rlp.de/uploads/media/Kirchenbuchverzeichnis_uebergreifend.pdf -Rheinhessen and Kurpfalz gazetteer and parish register inventory

Pommern
• Pommern Gemeindelexikon 1885 see http://pbc.gda.pl/dlibra/doccontent?id=7545&amp;from=FBC Pommern Gemeindelexikon 1905 see http://pbc.gda.pl/dlibra/docmetadata?id=7326

Posen
• Posen Gemeindelexikon (1908) http://www.wbc.poznan.pl/dlibra/docmetadata?id=2094 • http://donhoward.net/genpoland/posguide.htm - List of vital records for the Prussian Province of Posen

Rheinland
• Gemeindelexikon 1885 available at http://www.digitalis.uni-koeln.de/Gemeinde/gemeinde_index.html as a PDF that can be downloaded in sections, and in the DigiBib on www.compgen.de

Saxon Duchies:
• For some areas, see the Digital Historical Gazetteer of Saxony (Das Historische Ortsverzeichnis von Sachsen) [in German] http://hov.isgv.de/projekt/ The project is based on the “Staats-, Post- und Zeitungslexikon” published beginning in 1813 (13 main volumes plus 5 supplemental volumes). Use the Ämterverzeichnis to see the districts that are included in this work, http://hov.isgv.de/aemterverzeichnis/ All original volumes of the Staats-, Post- und Zeitungslexikon are available digitally and can be downloaded. See http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vorlage:Staatslexikon_Sachsen for links. o Anhalt o Saxe-Altenburg (Sachsen-Altenburg) o Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (Sachsen-Coburg und Gotha) o Saxe-Meiningen (Sachsen-Meiningen) o Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach (Sachsen-Weimar-Eisenach) o Reuss-Gera (Junior Line) o Reuss-Greiz (Senior Line) o Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt o Sondershausen

Saxony [Kingdom] (Königreich Sachsen)
• Digital Historical Gazetteer of Saxony (Das Historische Ortsverzeichnis von Sachsen) [in German]. See http://hov.isgv.de/projekt/ .The project is based on the “Staats-, Post- und Zeitungslexikon” published beginning in 1813 (13 main volumes plus 5 supplemental volumes). Use the Ämterverzeichnis to see the districts that are included in this work, http://hov.isgv.de/aemterverzeichnis/ • All original volumes of the Staats-, Post- und Zeitungslexikon are available digitally and can be downloaded. See http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vorlage:Staatslexikon_Sachsen for links. • Die Kirchenbücher im Königreich Sachsen (parish register inventory) see http://wiki-de.genealogy.net/Die_Kirchenb%C3%BCcher_im_K%C3%B6nigreich_Sachsen_(1901)

Saxony [Prussian province] (Provinz Sachsen)
• Parish register database can be searched by localities and parishes, see http://www.genealogienetz.de/reg/SAC/Kirchen/index.html • Handbuch der Provinz Sachsen ( 1854), see http://books.google.com/books?id=d9oAAAAAcAAJ • Handbuch der Provinz Sachsen (1839), see http://books.google.com/books?id=wQs8AAAAMAAJ

Schaumburg-Lippe
• Ortsverzeichnis Schaumburg-Lippe / Schauburg-Lippe gazetteer, see http://www.genealogy.net/reg/NSAC/SLP/gaz.html • see also http://www.blume-gen.de/index-orte.html. Parish listings include links to 19th Century emigrants, census records, pictures, maps, websites.

Schleswig-Holstein
• Gemeindelexikon 1897 see http://books.google.com/books?id=FYNAAQAAMAAJ&amp;source=gbs_similarbooks • Topographie des Herzogtums Holstein (1908), read online or download https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_sWUTAQAAMAAJ

Silesia (Schlesien)
• Die Kirchenbücher Schlesiens beider Confessionen (1902),parish register inventory, see http://wiki-de.genealogy.net/Die_Kirchenb%C3%BCcher_Schlesiens_beider_Confessionen_(1902)

Waldeck-Pyrmont
• Gemeindelexikon 1905, included with Westfalen, see the addendum beginning on page 131, https://books.google.de/books?id=9cEzAQAAMAAJ&amp;pg=PA247&amp;lpg=PA247&amp;dq=Gemeindelexikon+Waldeck-Pyrmont&amp;source=bl&amp;ots=Dq1YeAIbz1&amp;sig=ZQu3Sj6wuOlWxU7ywfOMG59VrCo&amp;hl=en&amp;sa=X&amp;ei=RvP5VOPmKseRoQSnrIDIBw&amp;ved=0CEsQ6AEwBg#v=onepage&amp;q=Gemeindelexikon%20Waldeck-Pyrmont&amp;f=false

Westfalen
• Gemeindelexikon 1905, digitized together with Hannover and Pyrmont; Westfalen begins with image 245, see https://books.google.de/books?id=9cEzAQAAMAAJ&amp;pg=PA249&amp;lpg=PA249&amp;dq=westfalen+Gemeindelexikon&amp;source=bl&amp;ots=Dq1YeAI5wY&amp;sig=PUO5fBSFAp-BsT9eQ5lGabnZ5Ns&amp;hl=en&amp;sa=X&amp;ei=y_D5VKjMKJH0oASEqYK4Bw&amp;ved=0CFQQ6AEwBw#v=onepage&amp;q=westfalen%20Gemeindelexikon&amp;f=false • Gemeindelexikon Westfalen 1887 see http://wiki-de.genealogy.net/Gemeindelexikon_Westfalen_1887

Westpreussen
• Nice gazetteer with records inventory and links to maps (in German). Can search partial place names (at least 4 letters required), see http://www.westpreussen.de/cms/ct/ortsverzeichnis.php

Württemberg
• http://www.archiv.elk-wue.de/cms/startseite/kirchenbuchdatenbank/ - database of Evangelical parishes, with links to other related databases • Hof- und Staatshandbuch für Württemberg – several editions can be viewed or downloaded on GoogleBooks. For the 1901 edition see http://books.google.com/books/about/Staatshandbuch_f%C3%BCr_W%C3%BCrttemberg.html?id=nMsnc6NvbnUC • Same, 1907 edition see https://archive.org/details/staatshandbuchf01landgoog • Staatshandbuch 1936 see http://wiki-de.genealogy.net/W%C3%BCrttemberg/Staatshandbuch_1936/ • http://www.leo-bw.de/themen/ortslexikon does not list parish, but gives history