Technisches Hilfswerk
| Bundesanstalt Technisches Hilfswerk (THW) | |
Federal sign of the THW | |
Main logo of the THW | |
| Agency overview | |
|---|---|
| Formed | August 22, 1950 |
| Preceding agency | |
| Jurisdiction | Germany |
| Headquarters | Bonn-Lengsdorf |
| Employees | 2,200+; 88 000+ volunteers |
| Annual budget | EUR 428,629,000 (2023) |
| Agency executive |
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| Parent agency | Federal Ministry of the Interior |
| Child agencies |
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| Website | www.thw.de |
The Bundesanstalt Technisches Hilfswerk (German: [ˈtɛçnɪʃəs ˈhɪlfsˌvɛʁk] ⓘ, (THW) pronounced [teːhaːˈveː] ⓘ, English: Federal Agency for Technical Relief) is the federal civil protection organisation of Germany. It is legally part of the Federal Ministry of the Interior and controlled by the German federal government. 97% of its more than 88,000 members (2025) are volunteers.
The predecessor of THW was the "Technische Nothilfe" (Technical Emergency Relief) (TN), founded in 1919 by Otto Lummitzsch, a pioneer (Combat support) officer, which existed in the Weimar Republic and in Nazi Germany until 1945.