The Völkisch Observer (German: Völkischer Beobachter; VB) was the newspaper organ of the Nazi Party. Founded in Munich on 2 January 1887 as the Munich Observer (Münchener Beobachter), it was purchased by the Nazis on 17 December 1920. The Völkisch Observer ceased publication in April 1945 with the defeat of Nazi Germany in the Second World War.