MUNICH. LOOK here! The Image Archive of the Bayerische Staatsbibliothek – Virtual exhibition

270 historical images from the mid-19th century up to the 1970s extend an invitation to go on an exciting journey through time in Munich and its surroundings. The extraordinary photographs are from well-known Munich photographers, such as Franz Hanfstaengl, Georg Fruhstorfer, Felicitas Timpe or Heinrich Hoffmann.

The Image Archive of the Bayerische Staatsbibliothek, which manages the photographic legacies and image archives, offers a representative insight into the institution’s outstanding photograph collections.

"MUNICH. LOOK here!" sheds a light on minor and major events in the history of Munich and is presented in six focal points:

♦  Early photography (1839 to 1914)
♦  From Munich into the mountains
♦  Munich 1914 to 1945
♦  War damages and reconstruction
♦  Culture, culture, culture
♦  Between tradition and progress

Delve into the photographic archives of the Bayerische Staatsbibliothek and go on an exciting journey through time.

Tip: By clicking on the photos in the image galleries (by the exception of only few), audio guides (in German) can be activated, which offer further information.

Besides Paris and London, Munich was the most important centre for the development and proliferation of photography in the 19th century. The scholars and artists based in the city made a significant contribution to the increasing popularity of this new technology. The library's two treasure vaults present originals of early photographs, and explain the technique used to create these pictures. These early photographs are followed by images of the first Munich photographer Alois Löcherer (1815 – 1862) and of the court photographers Joseph Albert (1825 – 1886) and Franz Hanfstaengl (1804 – 1877), accompanied by images taken in the famous photo studio Elvira.

Queen Mary with her sons Ludwig, the later King Ludwig II of Bavaria (1845 – 1886), and Otto, the later King Otto I (1848 – 1916)

Joseph Albert, Albumin, around 1863

The excursion first leads the visitor to the Werdenfelser Land region and on to Tyrol. Photographer Bernhard Johannes (1848 – 1899), based in Partenkirchen and later in Merano, and his successors produced early alpine photographs of the ascent of the Zugspitze, studio photographs – some of which are quite peculiar – , as well as testimonials of Bavarian traditions. During the 1920s and 1930s, photographer Josef Beierl (1905 – 1943) captured the mountains of the Berchtesgaden region with his camera. His photographs are shown here for the first time.

Josef Beierl and friends on the Schönfeldspitze

With a height of 2,653 metres, the Schönfeldspitze is the second-highest mountain of the Steinernes Meer part of the Berchtesgaden Alps after the Selbhorn. It can be climbed from the Bavarian and from the Austrian side.

Josef Beierl, photograph presumably taken using a self-timer, undated

Events such as the outbreak of the First World War, the revolution of 1918/ 19, the rise of the NSDAP in Munich, the burning of books and the November pogrom of 1938 are documented in the collections of the Image Archive. The photographs are predominantly from the photographic archive of Heinrich Hoffmann (1885 – 1957), Adolf Hitler’s personal photographer.

The Nazis’ worship of the dead – the commemoration on 9 November 1936

To commemorate the Hitler Putsch of 1923, the national socialists staged a pompous march onto and entrance of the most important party officials around Hitler on the Königsplatz every year. At the centre of the image, there are the two so-called “Ehrentempel” built in 1935, the grave site of the national socialists killed in 1923.

Unknown photographer, 9 November 1936

Photographs of the destroyed city, of war veterans returning home, improvised market stalls between mountains of debris, the clearing away of rubble, the flourishing black market, but also a number of first concerts are characteristic of the recollection of the post-war era. The photographers Georg Fruhstorfer (1913 – 2008), Helmut Silchmüller (1906 – 1980) and Tino Walz (1913 – 2008) captured this eventful time in their images.

Lord Mayor Thomas Wimmer at the "Rama dama" ("Let’s clean up") event on the Rindermarkt square

The initiator of the rubble-clearing action, in which several thousand citizens participated, was Lord Mayor Wimmer (1887 – 1964), who also pitched in himself. Symbolising the motivation of Munich’s population to reconstruct the city together, the motto of the event became a familiar quotation.

Georg Fruhstorfer, 29 October 1949

Music, theatre, opera, cabaret or ballet – the photographs by Felicitas Timpe (1923 – 2006) ought to offer something for every visitor to the exhibition. Some people might remember the Rolling Stones or the Beatles at their shows in the 1960s and 1970s. In her pictures, Munich photographer Timpe documented Munich’s cultural life in the years between 1950 and 2003. Her archive encompasses around one million images.

Press conference of the Beatles at the hotel Bayerischer Hof

The Beatles performed in Munich for the first time in 1966. The local press in particular could hardly understand the popularity of the band.

Felicitas Timpe, 23 June 1966

The legendary carnival in Munich, the Oktoberfest, the celebration of the city's 800th anniversary in 1958, student protests, the arrival of the first immigrant workers and finally the 1972 Summer Olympics are some of the topics in the exhibition’s last section. Raft rides on the Isar in the 1950s, people in traditional costumes at a parade on Maximilianstrasse or the research reactor in Garching, the "atomic egg", under construction were popular motifs at the time.

Arrival of Turkish workers at Munich's main station

During the 1950s and early 1960s, there was a big shortage of manpower in the "land of the economic miracle", which was intended to be overcome by recruiting "guest workers" – as the immigrant workers were called for a long time. The first recruitment agreement was concluded with Italy in 1955. Further agreements followed, such as that with Turkey in 1961.

Felicitas Timpe, 1964

Use our photo stories (in German) to take a look at selected images of the exhibition "MUNICH. LOOK here!" and find out about some interesting facts and anecdotes.

The Bayerische Staatsbibliothek during the Second World War
(mp4 fle, 188 MB)

Royal sightseeing – State visit by Queen Elisabeth II to Munich in 1965
(mp4 file, 169 MB)

"Flea with exhaust pipe" – Mobility in the 1950s
(mp4 file, 179 MB)

Early alpine photography: Fancy an excursion to the Zugspitze and the Werdenfelser Land?
(mp4 file, 188 MB)