Welcome to the special anniversary tour of the SPIEGEL title archive!
Almost 4,000 printed editions have appeared since January 4, 1947 - and with that, of course, just as many cover pictures.
Each of them must be "unique," according to the claim of SPIEGEL founder Rudolf Augstein.
The result was pictures that became icons, illustrations that went down in design history, rousing, moving, silent and loud.
But also repulsive, exaggerated, disturbing, perhaps involuntarily funny.
Motifs and lines that would no longer be published today for a variety of reasons.
The collection is to be seen as a document of contemporary history and thus shows the change in aesthetics, language and customs on the one hand, but also in values, norms and journalistic standards on the other.
It offers the opportunity to discuss critically and to draw lessons for the future.
Only a few covers are no longer allowed to show SPIEGEL for legal reasons - they have been replaced by a black box.
Johannes Unselt, head of the cover picture department, will accompany you on your tour and, if you wish, tell you the background to the respective decades.
To do this, simply move the mouse pointer over the cover under this text and click or tap the blue play button that then appears.
We have marked the covers mentioned in the audio guide with a headphone symbol.
To view motifs larger or to read the issues as PDF, simply click or tap on the respective cover.
If you like, you can start the tour of the SPIEGEL edition that was on the kiosk on the day you were born or on another important date:
