A device for determining the position of at least one local coil arranged or to be arranged on a patient bed of a magnetic resonance device has at least one optical coil marker arranged on the local coil, at least one optical sensor device to detect the coil marker, the field of view of the sensor device at least partially covering the patient bed in at least a recumbent position, and a computer that determines the coil position and/or coil orientation on the patient bed from measurement data of the sensor device. The computer can form a part of a control unit of the magnetic resonance device.