Archives départementales de la Haute-Vienne
- Departmental Archives of Haute-Vienne
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History
The Departmental Archives of the Haute-Vienne were created during the Revolution in order to preserve the papers of institutions that were abolished (royal administrations, religious establishments, etc.). Since then, they have been collecting public archives produced within the framework of the department (administrations, courts, notarial minutes, archives produced by municipalities with fewer than 2,000 inhabitants, etc.), and private archives of historical interest.
Initially scattered in several premises in Limoges, the archives were gradually brought together at the prefecture. In 1858, they were moved to the former Palais de Justice, Place du Présidial, premises initially shared with the Museum, the Municipal Library and various administrative services. In 1902 they were transferred to the new prefecture, rue des Combes. In 1958, the chapel of the former seminary, known as the Annexe de la Règle, was added to these premises. In 1948, the microfilming laboratory was created, which is now replaced by the photography and digitisation workshop.
The current building of the Departmental Archives, allée Alfred-Leroux, was inaugurated on 22 February 1985. With a storage capacity double that of the previous premises (25 linear kilometres), it was the first building to be built by the General Council following decentralisation and provided readers and archivists with modern working conditions that complied with standards.
After 30 years of operation, the building was reaching saturation point. With some 400 linear metres of material being added each year, it became essential to extend the existing building. To meet this challenge, the Department launched a vast project in 2017 to build two additional wings connected by lifts to the original building.
With respectively 8 and 9 new floors in each wing (7 of which are entirely dedicated to conservation), this extension of the shops allows the passage from 22.5 km of storage space to 39.5 km. Today, the results are visible at the Departmental Archives: a new façade now insulates and embellishes the building and the public reception areas have been completely renovated and brought up to accessibility standards.
Records Management and Collecting Policies
Archival documents are generally not classified according to a thematic logic, as is most often the case in libraries, but according to their origin, i.e. the person or organisation that produced the archives. Find more info here
Archival and Other Holdings
Opening Times
The Departmental Archives are currently open to the public on Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays from 8.30 am to 5 pm without interruption.
Reproduction Services
The reproduction and research of documents can be carried out either by the departmental archives or, under certain conditions, by you in the reading room.
It is possible to order reproductions which will be made by the service in the form of photocopies, photographic prints or digital files, depending on the type of original medium and the user's request. These reproductions are made provided that the state of conservation of the documents allows it and within the limits of the service's technical resources.
Copies
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Mémorial de la Shoah Fondation holds copies of Holocaust-relevant archives from the Archives départementales de la Haute-Vienne.
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United States Holocaust Memorial Museum holds copies of Holocaust-relevant archives from Archives départementales de la Haute-Vienne
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USHMM holds copies of Holocaust-relevant archives from the Archives départementales de la Haute-Vienne grouped under "Selected records of the Departmental Archives of the Haute-Vienne". Detailed finding aids of the copies made by USHMM are available via the USHMM collection description.