Landeskirchliches Archiv
Bethelplatz 2
33617 Bielefeld / Germany
The Regional Church Archive in Bielefeld is in charge of all documents from the past and present of the Protestant Church of Westphalia. As part of its core activitiy of archive maintenance, the Regional Church Archive gives advice to the parishes and church districts as well as to independent institutions when it comes to the safeguarding of their relevant documents.
The territory of the Protestant Church of Westphalia is largely identical with the former Prussian province of Westphalia. After the dissolution of Prussia in 1946, the province was integrated into the newly founded federal state North Rhine-Westphalia, whereby the territory of the regional church has also become part of this federal state.
Today, the Protestant Regional Church of Westphalia comprises 454 parishes that are federated in 27 church districts.
The parishes of the Protestant Church of Westphalia have the right of ownership and disposal of their church records. The original documents are usually kept in the parishes, although 76 parishes, in particular from the Bielefeld area, deposit their church books in the Regional Church Archive. The civil status registers of more than 70 parishes are also kept in the archive. Apart from the church books and civil status registers mentioned, the inventory includes appr. 200 military church books.
At the moment, church books from more than 360 parishes from 31 church districts are available online for family research. Besides, there are some civil registers, church books of the garrisons and military parishes as well as regiments’ church books.
If you need a church book for your family research that is not (yet) recorded online with Archion, it is possible to research on site in the reading room of the regional church archive. Please find more information on the homepage of the archive: Familienforschung: Landeskirchliches Archiv (archiv-ekvw.de)