Archives Départementales des Ardennes
- Departmental Archives of the Ardennes
Address
Phone
History
The Departmental Archives have been a service of the Departmental Council since 1986.
Mandates/Sources of Authority
The mission is to preserve the collective memory of the Ardennes and make it available to all. This mission is divided into five actions: control, collection, classification, conservation and communication of archives. Read more...
Records Management and Collecting Policies
Building(s)
After the Second World War, the construction of a building specifically dedicated to the Archives is the sign of a strong will to rebuild a destroyed service. Thanks to the dynamism of the director René Robinet and the inventiveness of the departmental architect Jean-Robert Dupré, the new headquarters of the Archives used the most modern construction techniques and its inauguration on 10 November 1957 was an event of international renown.
From the 1970s onwards, however, the need for an extension was felt in order to meet new needs: an increase in the number of visitors (notably with the arrival of a new school population), an increase in staff... The extension of the building was therefore carried out by two Parisian architects, Bernard Feypell and Edward Zoltowski, and two thirds of the cost was financed by the department, which became the new supervisory authority for the service on 1 January 1986 following decentralisation.
Today, the building continues to house the archives of all the public services of the Ardennes, as well as the private collections of individuals, companies and associations. A team of 18 people work to preserve and communicate nearly 17 kilometres of documents, always trying to postpone the date of saturation of the premises. These premises are undergoing major changes, linked to the development of information and communication technologies.
On 10 November 2007, these premises, which house the written memory of the department and the staff responsible for its conservation, celebrated their fiftieth anniversary. To mark the occasion, the Departmental Archives put on an exhibition looking back at the three key stages in the construction and fitting out of the building.
Archival and Other Holdings
For general information on the holdings of the archive, please click here.
Finding Aids, Guides, and Publication
Mémorial de la Shoah holds copies from this archive. Further information can be received at the Archives department of the Mémorial.
Opening Times
The reading room is open Tuesday to Friday from 9 am to 5 pm, closed on Mondays.
Documents are released in lifts, one every half hour, with a limit of three documents per lift. Lifting is suspended during the lunch break, from 11.45 a.m. to 1.15 p.m. The last lifting takes place at 4.15 p.m.
Conditions of Access
Access to the reading room of the Departmental Archives is subject to the presentation of an identity document (national identity card, valid passport, driving licence) which allows you to register. A reader's card will be issued free of charge. The presentation of this card, which has a barcode, is a condition for the communication of documents.
Before entering the reading room, it is compulsory to deposit personal belongings (outdoor clothing, bags, panniers, etc.) in a locker provided for this purpose, which can be used for a fee of €1.
All readers visiting the Departmental Archives undertake to respect the rules of the reading room.
The archives are communicated to the public in accordance with the rules of communicability prescribed by the Heritage Code, modified by law n° 2008-696 of 15 July 2008.
The library's books can be consulted on site only. The number of articles communicated is limited to ten per half-day and per reader, not including microforms in usual form.
Microfilmed documents (civil status, parish registers, press, etc.) are only made available in this form. A fleet of 6 microfilm readers is available to the public. The Archives do not lend microfilms between repositories.
Accessibility
The building is accessible to disabled people: it is advisable to phone beforehand to announce your arrival.
Reproduction Services
Reproduction of original documents is only possible if the condition of the document, the binding, the format (less than 30 x 40 cm), and the handling allow it. Reproduction is carried out by the staff after agreement with the room supervisor, either by means of a traditional photocopier (flat documents) or by means of a digital photograph (bound documents).