State Archives in Belgium

National Archives and State Archives in the Provinces

18 reading rooms

More than 200 kilometers of Archives

25 kilometers of books

Knowledge center concerning historical information and archives of administrations

We are working on a complete English version of our website.

New Saturday opening hours at the State Archives in Gent

Due to very low visitor numbers on Saturdays, the reading room of the State Archives in Gent will only be open on the first Saturday of each month. These new opening hours are in effect as from April 1^st.

“In the aftermath of the Second World War”

Between oblivion, reparations, reconstruction and repression
State of research and available sources

National Archives of Belgium, Thursday 25th February 2010

The records on the Second World War become increasingly accessible, encouraging researchers to delve into new research and to discover or rediscover numerous archive fonds. By contrasting these archives with the questions, the expectations, and the difficulties researchers have to face, this study day aims at drawing attention to the great richness of the sources available.
> Click here to discover the schedule and inscription modalities

Nieuw! Nieuwsbrief ‘digitale parochieregisters’

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State Archives receive eGov Award 2009

On December 3^rd, the State Archives has received the e-Government Award 2009 in the category "most innovating project” for its genealogy project "Demogen". Read more...

Archives and Democracy: a virtual exhibition

The first virtual educational exhibition of the Belgian State Archives is online! With many interactions and animations, based on authentic archive documents, enriched with photographs and films.
Have a look for yourself at www.archives-democratie.be.

Archives of the former State Archives repository in Ronse available again

Following the definitive closure of the State Archives repository in Ronse on last September 1st, the archives formerly preserved there have been transferred to the State Archives in Ghent and in Beveren. The microfilm collection is now preserved at the State Archives in Kortrijk. All documents are available for the public again since October 1st, 2009. Read more...

For a better archives administration?

You are a civil servant at a public service and looking for counsel on the administration of your service’s archives? You ask yourself how long the service’s archives are to be preserved? Have a look at the page “Guidance concerning archives management“. There you will find:
- directives for the preservation and selection of archives
- information brochures and recommendations

Restoration of war archives utterly needed!

As inheritor of the “War Archives” and having being active during and after the Great War, the State Archives keep an impressive number of archives and documents of the First World War, among which are also several thousand posters. The historic value of these posters is beyond question. They have in fact been the most important and only means of communication between the authorities and the population during the Great War. These posters offer a deep insight into daily life under the occupation. The preservation and accessibility of the posters poses a problem however.

Expo 58 posters and post cards

Nouveauté ! Affiches et cartes postales Expo 58

Call for Demogenists!

Take part in the "Demogen" project. Put your data at the disposal of your genealogy friends or other researchers, or simply sign in as Demogenist in order to search birth and death registers, etc. right from your computer at home. Read more...

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