Staatsarchiv Luzern
- State Archives of Lucerne / Canton of Lucerne
Address
Phone
Fax
Mandates/Sources of Authority
State Archives of Lucerne secure, describe and provide access to all archive-worthy records about the canton of Lucerne, both from the cantonal institutions and of private origin.
Building(s)
The former Lucerne Archives building, which had been built between 1729 and 1731 as a Jesuit grammar school on Bahnhofstrasse, increasingly reached its capacity limits in the second half of the 20th century and also had security deficiencies. An open architectural competition in 1988/89 for a new building on Schützenstrasse was intended to improve the situation and bring all Lucerne's archives together in one place. The building concept called for an independent functional building. After a referendum, construction could begin in 1989 according to designs by the firm of Gassner Ziegler Partner Architekten. The new State Archives opened its doors in 1993.
Archival and Other Holdings
The archive's holdings can be divided into four groups:
- the administrative records of the city of Lucerne and the Swiss federal state of the 13th to the 18th century,
- the documentation of the cantonal administration and courts since 1798,
- the archives of the monasteries abolished in the 19th century,
- the archives of private persons and institutions such as associations, political parties and industrial or commercial enterprises. This group includes in particular the documents of Catholic organizations working throughout Switzerland.
Opening Times
Tuesday to Friday, 08.00-17.15 (continuous)
on the 2nd and 4th Saturday of the month 08.00-12.00
Conditions of Access
The use of this archive material is basically open to everyone.
Research Services
Short queries (by mail, e-mail, phone) to the archive will be answered free of charge. Longer queries should be billed after consultation and in accordance with cantonal fee regulations.