Press archive

The publishing house Gruner + Jahr commits the analogue photographic archive of the journal STERN to the Bayerische Staatsbibliothek (BSB) in Munich, in order to secure the long-term existence of the archive and to make it accessible to the public and to research. The donation comprises over 15 million photographs from the years 1948 to 1997 in the form of prints, negatives and slides. The archive constitutes one of the largest collections of photographs in the German language area. It is considered the visual memory of the Federal Republic of Germany and one of the most important documents of photo journalism on a worldwide scale. With its multiply award-winning illustrative features, the STERN has developed a unique visual power and has set standards in magazine journalism for over 70 years. The BSB is one of the world’s leading heritage institutions to now take over responsibility for this unique cultural good. In addition to conserving the photographic archive, the donation contract also includes the gradual digitization of the archive by the library and the legal clarification of the conditions of use.

As of 21 January 2019, the Bayerische Staatsbibliothek shows books, maps and globes of the 16th and 17th century in the second part of its exhibition “God, the World and Bavaria”. Titled “From the Orient and the Occident”, a number of outstanding pieces are shown, such as two globes of Gerhard Mercator, the celestial atlas of Andreas Cellarius, “De Revolutionibus” of Nicolaus Copernicus and a coat of arms of Lucas Cranach the Elder.