Rijksarchief te Brugge / Archives de l'Etat à Bruges
- State Archive in Bruges
- RABR
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History
The French law of 26 October 1796 (5 Brumaire V) laid the foundations of the organisational structure of the present-day Belgian State Archives. The law stipulated that the archives of institutions and administrations abolished by the French authorities were to be collected and preserved at the regional metropolis of each newly created ‘Département’. In 1831, the archive depot in Brussels was officially named the “Archives Générales du Royaume” (National Archives of Belgium). By virtue of the Royal Decree of 17 December 1851, the “Archives de l’État dans les Provinces” (State Archives in the Provinces) were placed under the authority of the National Archivist.
Now broadly known as ‘the State Archives of Belgium’, the National Archives and the State Archives in the Provinces are a federal academic organisation that forms part of the Belgian Federal Science Policy Office (BELSPO). The State Archives are made up of the National Archives in Brussels and 17 State Archives that are distributed throughout the country. The State Archives’ role is to ensure the proper preservation of archival documents produced and managed by the state authorities. In order to fulfil its responsibilities, the State Archives issue directives and recommendations; conduct inspections and organise training for civil servants. The State Archives also act as an advisory body for the construction and preparation of premises for the conservation of archives and for the organisation of archive management within public institutions. The State Archives obtain and preserve (following sorting) archival documents that are at least 30 years old from courts, tribunals, public authorities, notaries and from the private sector and private individuals (companies, politicians, associations and societies, influential families, etc. that have played an important role in society). They ensure that public archives are transferred according to strict archival standards.
The State Archives in Bruges can currently hold up to 25 linear kilometres of archives. Its new building, opened to the public in 2013, currently holds some 13.5 km of archives, including some 5.5 km of archives that, until recently, were held by State Archives in Beveren.
Building(s)
The new State Archives comprise a new, separate volume for housing the archives and the public spaces, next to it, adjacent to the Justice House, the renovated Red Cross building with offices, workspaces, a conference and an exhibition hall, and in between a new square that forms a link between the two buildings and also between the Predikherenrei and the Langestraat. The new building nestles in the urban fabric and engages in a dialogue with its surroundings. It is no taller than the nearby Justice House, and its roof structure is fully integrated into the rhythm of the surrounding roofs.
The building is the architectural representation of what it contains. The façades resemble a loose pile of paper, an illusion reinforced by the long bricks used as facing bricks. The roof, on the other hand, resembles a crumpled paper stack.
The open reading room looks out onto the traffic-free square and the Predikherenrei. At the back are the non-public archive rooms, which are easily accessible for deliveries via a covered unloading bay.
The archive itself is on the first floor of the new building. It is equipped with the latest storage technology. A horizontal layout with mobile double racks of five metres high and an integrated intermediate floor ensure that the archives can be stored in a compact but orderly way.
Both the reading room and the offices are quickly accessible from the archive room. In addition, the first floor of the new building is also connected to the offices on the first floor of the Red Cross building by a transparent footbridge.
Underneath the new building is a public, underground car park with space for about 200 cars, spread over two levels.
The loose arrangement emphasises the transition between old and new, between the renovated Red Cross building and Justice House on the one hand, and the new, modern volume on the other. At the same time, it creates a new urban square that separates hard and soft traffic. The square is a pedestrian zone connecting Predikherenrei and Langestraat.
Archival and Other Holdings
The State Archives in Bruges manage the archives transferred by the public institutions and notaries of the former judicial districts of Bruges, Ypres, Furnes and the province of West Flanders (partial archives).
The State Archives in Bruges also holds the archives of municipalities, religious institutions, parishes, public social welfare centres, polders, water boards, companies, and influential associations, families and politicians in the region.
The historical library of the State Archives in Bruges contains some 20,000 titles, including 200 old printed documents. The State Archives in Bruges also hold an important collection of maps.
For a more detailed overview of the State Archives in Bruges' holdings see:
Finding Aids, Guides, and Publication
There are several online search engines: keyword, archives, creator, persons, themes (http://search.arch.be/). In order to facilitate access to documents, archivists produce academic reference works aimed at users, such as archive group overviews, guides, historical source studies and, in particular, inventories and search guides with detailed indexes. The search guides can be consulted in the reading room, and they are currently subject to a digitisation initiative, which aims to make them fully accessible on-line or via the intranet available on the computers in all the depositories of the State Archives.
State Archives guides and inventories may also be downloaded or purchased from the following link:
Opening Times
Tuesday to Friday from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
The Archives are closed between 12 p.m. and 1 p.m. during the months of July and August.
Conditions of Access
Since 1 June 2018, access to the reading rooms of the State Archives is free. This new measure has been put in place to ensure access to our archives for all citizens. The State Archives online archives, which include civil status and church registers that are older than 100 years, can be accessed for free as well.
For other fees that may apply, please see: http://www.arch.be/docs/tarifs.pdf
Accessibility
The State Archives are committed to ensuring access to its reading rooms and other common areas for all users. Several improvements have been made in recent years to facilitate access for people with reduced mobility (parking spaces, access ramps, toilets, etc.). For further information about access to the State Archives in Bruges, please contact the institution by phone or email.
The public areas are located on the ground floor and are easily accessible, also for the disabled.
Reproduction Services
For information on reproduction services and fees, please visit the following web page: http://arch.arch.be/index.php?l=en&m=practical-information&r=reproductions
Sources
State Archives in Belgium website last consulted on 24/10/2022.
Pierre-Alain Tallier (dir.), Gertjan Desmet & Pascale Falek-Alhadeff, Sources pour l'histoire des populations juives et du judaïsme en Belgique/Bronnen voor de geschiedenis van de Joden en het Jodendom in België, 19de-21ste eeuw, Brussel, ARA-AGR/Avant-Propos, 2016, 1,328 p.