EN
The article presents the works on the formation of the spatial development infrastructure in the Federal Republic of Germany. Information is given about the successive political and administrative stages that had impact on the form and scope of the German infrastructure both on the federal and the national levels, and their connection with the European INSPIRE initiative. The content of the German spatial information infrastructure is a result of the assumptions made during the construction of the system (e.g. improvement and lowering the cost of administration, facilitation of management through access to the current spatial data), and needs that were recognised during the preliminary works. The INSPIRE directive is inscribed in this system; however it is not its goal. The German experiences may constitute a model to the works carried out in Poland, particularly in terms of the goal and serviceability of the spatial information system which is now under construction.