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History of The National Archives in Krakow

The National Archives in Krakow began its institutional history on 2 September 1878 with the establishment of the National Archives of Municipal and Land Records in Krakow (later known as: 1919-1936 the Land Archives, from 1936 – The State Archives in Krakow). The Archives is organized not only with the protection of records remaining from civil offices and courts from previous centuries in mind, but also for their use in science and to make them more accessible for a wider audience. At the same time, there was also the idea of creating town archives, finalized by a resolution of the Krakow Town Council on 2 June 1887 to establish the Krakow Town Archives of Former Records with its headquarters at 16 Sienna Street (where The National Archives has its headquarters today).

In 1951, as a result of a reorganization of the network of archives, supervision of the  town archives was taken over by the General Director of the State Archives who then joined it, on 1 February 1952, to The State Archives in Krakow. For the following decades, the Archives worked as: from 1952 the Regional State Archives in Krakow, from 1957 the State Archives of the Town of Krakow and Krakow Region, from 1976 the Regional State Archives in Krakow and from 1984 as The State Archives in Krakow.
In appreciation of the collected archival resources and the work of a few generations of archival workers, the Minister of Culture and National Heritage on 29th of December 2012 raised the level of the Krakow institution and changed it into The National Archives in Krakow.

court archives municipal archives century the most important events in city history
archives of the Courts for the Nobility until 1792 Old Polish (Staropolskie) Archives of the Authorities of the City of Krakow until 1794 13th 1257 – chartering of Krakow according to Magdeburg Law
14th 1364 – foundation of Krakow University
15th 1468 – „Wielki Wilkierz” – rights and duties of the municipal authorities
16th 16th century – Krakow’s Golden Age
1596 – moving of the seat of the royal court to Warsaw.
17th 1655 – invasion of Swedish troops, the so-called Swedish Deluge
18th 1791 – enactment of the “Law on Cities” by the Great Four Year Sejm (National Assembly)
1791 – Constitution of 3 May 1791
1794 – the Kościuszko Uprising
1795 – III partition of Poland, Kraków falls under Austrian rule
from 1796
the so-called Gentry Archives at the Court for the Nobility		 from 1794
The General Archives of the Principal and Capital City of Krakow
from 1817
The Central Archives of Historical Records of the Courts for the Nobility		 from 1816
The Archives of the Free City of Krakow		 19th 1809-1815 – Krakow within the borders of the Duchy of Warsaw
1815-1846 – Republic of Krakow (Free City of Krakow) – protectorate of three powers: Austria, Prussia and Russia
1846 – the Krakow uprising and incorporation of the city and its region into Austria
1861 – the beginnings of the Galician Autonomy
1866 – Statute of the City of Krakow.
1867 – first elections to the City Council
from 1854
The C.K (imperial and royal) Archives of Records of the Courts for the Nobility in Krakow		 from the 1850s
The Municipality Archives

from 1878
The Local Archives of Records of the Courts for the Nobility in Krakow
from 1887
The Archives of Historical Records of the City of Krakow
20th 1909 – incorporation of the surrounding suburban communities into a single administrative unit the so-called “Greater Krakow”
1914-1918 – World War I
1918 – Poland regains independence
from 1919
The Archives of the Courts for the Nobility
from 1936
The State Archives in Krakow		 1939-1945 – World War II and German occupation

from 1952
The State Archive for the Krakow Province		 1945-1989 – time of the People’s Republic of Poland
from1957
The State Archives of the City of Krakow and the Krakow Province
from 1976 The State Archives for the Krakow Province 1978 – Center of Krakow included on the UNESCO World Heritage list
from 1984 The State Archives in Krakow 1990 – reactivation of local government, democratic elections to the City Council
21st 2007 – The Great 750th anniversary of the Foundation Charter of Krakow under Magdeburg Law 

from 29th of December 2012 r.
The National Archives in Krakow

 

History of The National Archives’ branches

 

The National Archives in Krakow Branch in Bochnia
Organisational changes:
1950-1951 District branch of The State Archives in Krakow
1951-1976 District State Archives in Bochnia
1976-1983 Provincial State Archives in Krakow, Branch in Bochnia
1984-2012 The State Archives in Krakow, Branch in Bochnia
from 29th of December 2012 under the name of The National Archives in Krakow, Branch in Bochnia
Heads of the Branch:
Stanisława Warcholik (1950-1961)
Tomisława Rydzewska (1962-1963)
Barbara Rydzewska (1963-1964)
Aleksander Litewka (1964-1965, 1969-1971)
Izolda Georgiades (1965-1966)
Mieczysław Rokosz (1966-1969)
Marian Stolarczyk (1971-1972)
Jerzy Katra (1972-1990)
Joanna Potasz (1991-2012)
Agnieszka Gicala (from 2012)

The National Archives in Krakow Branch in Nowy Sącz
Organisational changes:
1950-1951 District branch of The State Archives in Krakow
1951-1958 District State Archives in Nowy Sącz
1958-1976 The State Archives of the City of Krakow and the Krakow Province, Regional Branch in Nowy Sącz
1976-1982 Provincial Archives in Nowy Sącz, located in Nowy Targ; Branch in Nowy Sącz
1982-1984 State Archives for the Krakow Province, Branch in Nowy Sącz
1984-2012 The State Archives in Krakow, Branch in Nowy Sącz
from 29th of December 2012 under the name of The National Archives in Krakow, Branch in Nowy Sącz
Heads of the Branch:
Kazimierz Golachowski (1950-1961)
Krystyna Lichota-Marzec (1961-1963)
Anna Śliwa (1963-1967)
Tadeusz Duda (1967-2002)
Sylwester Rękas (from 2002)

The National Archives in Krakow  Branch in Tarnów 
Organisational changes:
1950-1951 District branch of The State Archives in Krakow
1951-1976 District State Archives in Tarnów
1976-1984 State Archives for the Krakow Province, Branch in Tarnów
1984-2012 The State Archives in Krakow, Branch in Tarnów
from 29th of December 2012 under the name of The National Archives in Krakow, Branch in Tarnów
Heads of the Branch:
Janina Markowska (1950-1951)
Janina Siewierska (1951-1952)
Maria Kłaput-Wrzoskowa (1952-1954)
Stanisława Mika (1954-1957)
Andrzej Kunisz (1957-1970)
Bronisław Jaśkiewicz (1971-1973)
Maria Żychowska (1973-1990)
Maciej Dudek (from 1991)

The National Archives in Krakow Division in Nowy Targ
Organisational changes:
1952-1976 District State Archive in Nowy Targ
1976-1982 Provincial Sate Archive in Nowy Sącz located in Nowy Targ (finances, economic and scientific supervision was provided by the Krakow Archive)
1982-1984 The State Archive for the Krakow Province, Branch in Nowy Targ
from 1984 The State Archive in Krakow, Branch in Nowy Targ
Heads of the Branch/Division (between 1976 and 1982 Directors of the Archive):
Józef Grzybek (1952-1979)
Ireneusz Gazda (1980-1982)
Barbara Słuszkiewicz (1983-1984)
Wiesław Bogdanowski (1984-1988)
Barbara Słuszkiewicz (1988-2011)
Zygmunt Kukulski (from 2011)

The National Archives in Krakow Division in Spytkowice

On the 1th of November 2001 the division in Spytkowice was created. The main task of the division is security of documentation. It is a storeplace for the Krakow Archives and its Branches. About 9000 running metres of documentation is kept there. Employees of the division also help with the study and easy access of archival materials. In 2004 a reading room was opened there.
The division’s head is Maciej Mocniak.
The division is housed in a historical building – a castle whose oldest part was built in the Middle Ages. In the 1990s the castle was thoroughly renovated.
Heads of the Branch/Division 
Maciej Mocniak (from 2000)