[2] The period of coverage started with the beginning of the written tradition and continues to the present day – with the exception of living persons.
In addition to people from Germany, Austria and German-speaking Switzerland, which in historical perspective also include those from Alsace, the Baltic States, South Tyrol, etc., the DBE also includes emigrants or German-speaking minorities abroad.
[3] Thus the FAZ reviewer Patrick Bahners [de] called the DBE a "powerful write-off enterprise".
[4] Ernst Klee, who accused the DBE of glossing over Nazi careers, criticized the content.
[6] The encyclopedia also contains an entry about a fictitious person (Carl August von Schimmelthor [de]).