Bavaria/Bayern

History
Bavaria is divided into seven districts:
Oberpfalz, Niederbayern, Oberbayern, Unterfranken, Mittelfranken, Oberfranken, and Schwaben. Bavaria was ruled by the Wittelsbach family from 1180-1918. The best known is Ludwig II (1864-1886) who built the castles of Neuschwanstein, Linderhof, and Herrenchiemsee.

Border Changes
The southern portion of today's German State of Rheinland-Pfalz was once owned by Bavaria and was referred to as the "Rheinpfalz," "Rhennish Pfalz," "Rheinbayern," or "Palatinate," but it is no longer a part of modern Bavaria.
 
E-Mail Lists
 
Websites for Bavaria How to find ancestor records in Bavaria:
Beginner research and FAQ’s (frequently asked questions):
 
 
 
Maps – Internet
Historical maps of Bavaria from 1962 to the present:
 
Bavarian Research Groups
http://www.genealogienetz.de/vereine/BLF/ (see their links also) Southern Bavaria.
http://www.gf-franken.de/index_e.html Northern Bavaria.
 
Archives
 
State Archives
http://www.gda.bayern.de (Main Archive)
http://www.gda.bayern.de/archive/coburg (Coburg Staatsarchiv)
http://www.gda.bayern.de/archive/landshut  (NiederBayern Staatsarchiv)
http://www.gda.bayern.de/archive/muenchen  (Oberbayern Staatsarchiv)
http://www.gda.bayern.de/archive/bamberg  (Oberfranken Staasarchiv)
 
Evangelical archives in Germany:  
http://www.archiv-elkb.de Protestant records
http://www.lkan-elkb.de (Lutherischen Kirche in Bayern)
 
Catholic archives in Germany:
 
Books
The GGS collection of Germanic Genealogy Books at Minnesota Genealogy Center Mendota Heights, MN, has 7 books specifically on Bavarian genealogy. All of those 7 books are in English. Check the Library webpage for further information.