Rue Ducale, 2 1000 BRUSSELS Brussels-Capital Region Tel: +32 (0)2/551.20.20 Fax: +32 (0)2/512.56.85 CAP@kppr.be Gustaaf Janssens, Head of Section

The Archives of the Royal Palace preserve all archives produced by the departments and services of the Royal Palace – in principle since the 21st of July 1831, when Prince Leopold of Saxe-Cobourg (1790-1865) took the constitutional oath as King of the Belgians. The Archives comprise the archives of the department of the grand Marshal of the Court, the King’s Cabinet, the King’s Civil List, the King’s Military Household, and – for the period from 1914 to 1944 – the King’s Secretariat. Furthermore they comprise the archives of the Secretariat of Queen Elisabeth, of the Secretariat of the Count and Countess of Flanders, of the Secretariat of Prince Leopold and Princess Astrid, and of the Secretariat of Prince Charles.
One has to also point out the presence of the archives of former Prime Minister Joseph Pholien and of the archives of the “Fonds Goffinet” (comprising among others the archives of Queen Elisabeth and the archives of King Leopold II and his collaborators, Adrien, Auguste and Constant Goffinet).
The content and significance of these archives reflect the tasks and competences of their respective producers. The study of the former Head of the King’s Cabinet, Mr. André Molitor (see bibliography), offers an overview over these archives.

Special status

By virtue of the Ministerial Decree of the 10th of January 1967, this archives service is a section of the National Archives and the State Archives in the Provinces (the State Archives, in short). The service is under the authority of the King’s Cabinet, but administered by a Chief Archivist, member of the scientific personnel of the State Archives.

Who is who?

Head of Service: Gustaaf Janssens, Head of Section
Archivist: /
Reception, reading room: Samuel Daudergnies

How to get there?

By public transport: The depository is located closely to Parc, Place des Palais and Place du Trône (Metro: Parc, Arts-Loi, Trône) and at 10 minutes of walking distance from the central station (Bruxelles Central) and the station of Quartier Leopold. Busses and tramways have stops at Parc (Rue Royale) and in Rue Ducale.

By car: The depository does not possess its own parking space; however, parking lots can be found at the Place des Palais.

Opening and closing hours

The consultation of documents is subject to the regulations stipulated in the rules of the service, of which every visitor will be given a copy.
Prior to consultation an appointment must be made with the Archivist.

Further reading

• Molitor A., La fonction royale en Belgique, Brussels, 1994 (second edition, revised).
• Janssens G., Het Archief van het Koninklijk Paleis te Brussel, in: Archives et Bibliothèques de Belgique, 62 (1991), p. 307-342.
• Janssens G., Bewaring en toegankelijkheid in het Archief van het Koninklijk Paleis te Brussel, in: Bibliotheek- en Archiefgids, 71 (1995), p. 110-117.
• Janssens G., La conservation et la consultabilité des documents aux Archives du Palais royal à Bruxelles, in: Museum Dynasticum, 8 (1996), p.11-19.
• Janssens, G., Das Archiv des Königspalastes in Brüssel, in: Der Archivar, 50 (1997), col. 600-607.
• Janssens G. , De federale uitvoerende macht. I. Het Staatshoofd, in: Bronnen voor de studie van het hedendaagse België 19e-20e eeuw (ed. Van den Eeckhout P. and Vanthemsche G.), Brussels, 1999, p. 271-291.
• Vandewoude E. en Vanrie A., Guide des Sources de l'histoire d'Afrique du Nord, d'Asie et d'Océanie conservées en Belgique, Brussels, 1972, p. 105-130.