The German Red Cross (GRC) is part of a global community, having provided humanitarian aid for more than 150 years for people all over the world who suffered in conflict situations, disasters and health or social emergency situations.

With 191 national societies the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is the world’s largest humanitarian organization.

The German Red Cross’ organization is federal: with the National Headquarters based in Berlin, and 19 member state societies and one nursing association.

The archive of the GRC Headquarters were founded in 1921 as an  documentation department. The department collected publications, photographs, and press clippings. In the 1950-ies, an archive was established which now houses the documents of the National Headquarters (General Sekretariat) and the records of the Red Cross of the GDR.

The archive has also a large collection of Red Cross newspapers from 1866 on. Besides records of departments the archive helds historical footage, pictures, posters and advertising material.

A library with 25,000 items on the German Red Cross is connected to the archive. More on the history of the German Red Cross www.drk.de/das-drk/geschichte.

Since 2018, we are coordinating the Oral History project of the German Red Cross. Some interviews are published online.