Staatsarchiv Eupen

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.

From 1996 onwards, the State Archives in Eupen became one of the departments of the State Archives of Belgium. As of 2013, they are under the operational management of the State Archives in the Walloon Provinces.

On 1 March 1989, the State Archives moved into two premises made available by the city of Eupen, namely an office and a 75 m² warehouse in an imposing and remarkable building constructed between 1724 and 1728 for a cloth merchant.

The State Archives in Eupen preserve the records of public and private institutions that have or had their seat on the territory of today’s jurisdiction of Eupen, which is located in the Province of Liège. Today, this territory covers the municipal areas of Eupen, Amblève, Bullange, Burg-Reuland, Butgenbach, La Calamine, Lontzen, Raeren and Saint-Vith, which corresponds to the territory of the German-speaking community of Belgium

Before 1796, the major archive creators were primarily the alderman courts, communes, notary publics, and parishes. In the 19th century, courts, public administrations, social welfare centres, and church councils emerged as significant contributors to the State Archives in Eupens' collections, as have the government and the ministry of the German-speaking Community since 1984. Moreover, over 100 records from individuals and associations of private law and a collection of maps and plans can be found in the Archives' collections.

The records preserved at the State Archives in Eupen date back to the 14th century. The parish registers and civil status registers regarding the churches and communes in the jurisdiction of Eupen can only be consulted via microfilm or backup copy.

The State Archives in Eupen also preserve the Historical Records (16th to mid-20th century) and the newspaper collection (1827-today) of the city of Eupen.

The Historical Library of the State Archives in Eupen counts some 30,000 volumes of different origin about regional history, archives administration, general history and ecclesiastical history, numerous inventories, reference editions, and a large collection of laws from the 17th to the 20th centuries.

For a more detailed overview of the Archives' collections, see:

• http://arch.arch.be/index.php?l=de&m=praktische-informationen&r=unsere-lesesale&d=eupen#archives-conservees (in German)

• http://arch.arch.be/index.php?l=fr&m=en-pratique&r=nos-salles-de-lecture&d=eupen#archives-conservees (in French)

• http://arch.arch.be/index.php?l=nl&m=praktische-info&r=onze-leeszalen&d=eupen#archives-conservees (in Dutch)

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:

http://webshop.arch.be/

A specific guide to the State Archives in Eupen's collections is:

MINKE A., Die Bestände des Staatsarchivs in Eupen. Allgemeine Übersicht (Gerichtsbezirk Eupen). 2. erweiterte und verbesserte Auflage, Série n°48, Publication n°3128, Archives générales du Royaume, Bruxelles, 2000.