Bundeswehr Scientific and Technical Information Center (FIZBw)
Jun 30, 2026
Bundeswehr Scientific and Technical Information Center (FIZBw)
Image Credit: Marcus Rott
Based in Bonn, the Bundeswehr Scientific and Technical Information Center (FIZBw) is the central military specialized library within the portfolio of the Federal Ministry of Defence. It also serves as the coordinating hub for the Bundeswehr’s approximately 60 specialized libraries.
The remit of the FIZBw — whose predecessor institution was founded in 1963 with what was initially a primarily documentary mandate — also includes coordinating specialist cooperation with the network libraries and developing the conceptual framework of the library system within the Ministry of Defence. As part of its internal digital knowledge and information management, the FIZBw also oversees various collaboration and communication platforms.
The project “Tracing and Restitution of Nazi-Looted and Nazi-Seized Materials in Bundeswehr Libraries” has been based at the FIZBw since October 2018. Approved and funded by the ministry, the project aims to verify the provenance of all historical holdings in Bundeswehr libraries and to identify potential Nazi-looted or Nazi-confiscated material.
A total of approximately 500,000 volumes published up to 1945 across various locations are to be examined. Through systematic provenance research, the project aims to trace the routes by which the books came into the libraries’ possession and, in the case of books acquired as a result of confiscation linked to Nazi persecution, to reach fair and equitable solutions with heirs or legal successors.
The project team currently consists of six provenance researchers.
Bundesamt für Infrastruktur, Umweltschutz und Dienstleistungen der Bundeswehr (BAIUDBw)
FA IV Fachinformationszentrum der Bundeswehr (FIZBw)
Auffindung und Restitution von NS-Raub- und Beutegut
Gorch-Fock-Str. 7
53229 Bonn