The International Tracing Service archive holds information detailing the lives of about 17.5 million civilians in documents accumulated by humanitarian groups including the International Red Cross, German News Agency DDP reported Thursday.

"This is an opening in the more profound sense of the word. Before this we gave out information like a bureaucratic authority, but in the future we will operate more personally with those posing the questions," Tracing Service director Reto Meister said.

Justice Minister Brigitte Zypries reportedly decided to open the archive two years ago and give copies of its historic documents to the 11 nations that helped preserve them.