Established in 1874, it is subordinate to the German Ministry of the Exterior and is financed by the annual state budget of that country,by German institutions and by individuals. It has carried out excavations all over Greece, usually with the cooperation of Greek archaeologists. The most important of them, going on for many years with some intervals, are in ancient Olympia (since 1875), Tiryns (since 1884), the island of Samos (since 1910) and Kerameikos in Athens (since 1913). A series of publications and rich photographic material is available for each excavation, while a library comprising 65.000 volumes supports the scientific research. The Institute is housed in a neoclassic building designed by Ziller with the contribution of Dörpfefd, whose time marked a culminating point of the institution. Unfortunately, during the years of German occupation the results of the Institute’s work were twice destroyed.