Hi Art, These were held on a countrywide basis since 1871, but others were held at irregular intervals in various areas. Germany generally conducted censuses through the states, or provinces, rather than through the central government. The following information was derived from "In Search of Your German Roots" by Angus Baxter: Germany: 1871, 1880, 1885, 1890, 1895, 1900, 1905, 1910, 1919, 1925, 1933, 1939 West Germany: 1946, 1950, 1961, 1970 Bayern (Bavaria): 1846, 1849, 1852, 1855, 1858, 1861, 1867, 1946, 1950, 1961, 1970 I also have the census years for Baden, Baden-Württemberg, Berlin (West), Berlin (East), Bremen, Dresden, Hamburg, Hessen (Hesse), Köln (Cologne), Nordrheirn-Westfalen (North Rhine-Westphalia), Preussen (Prussia), Rheinland-Pfalz (Rhineland-Palatinate), Saarland, Schleswig-Holstein, Württemberg, Deutscher Zoll Verein. Contact me if you would like to know the census years for any particular location. Many of the census returns were filmed by LDS. The federal government receives the results from the states in order to make a "national head count," but the original returns are kept in the individual states and copies can be obtained from the municipal archives (Stadtarchiv) or the Civil Register Office (Standesamt) in each city or district. East Germany, when it was independent, destroyed its census returns after counting. In order to consult the census returns or obtain a copy of the original return, you will need to have an address in either a city or a village. In the city you will need a street name, in the village it isn't so important. When writing, give as much information as is know about your ancestor and the names of his or her spouse and children. Some census returns were probably destroyed during WWII. You may want to contact the central census authority and ask if the census returns exist for a particular location and where they are located. Statistisches Bundesamt Gustav Stresemann Ring 11 Postfach 5528 65189 Wiesbaden In addition to the censuses listed above there were others conducted at irregular intervals over the years by individual cities, for example, Mecklenburg in 1819. You will have to check on these by writing to the state and municipal archives for the area in which you are interested. Another place to learn about German (Bavarian) Censuses is Marcella Dawson's "Bavaria FAQs" website: http://www.landfield.com/faqs/genealogy/german-faq/part2/section-4.html Good luck! Joanne