Archives départementales du Pas-de-Calais

A read-through on the full history of the Departmental Archives of the Pas-de-Calais can be read here

1. Service of the contemporary archives : aides, advises and gives information about the producers of archives, institution of the archival system, collection and processing of the fonds posterior to 1940 which are preserved in the Centre of Arras and are the responsibility of the Centre Georges-Besnier.
2. Classification and conservation service: processing of the fonds preserved at Dainville (archives anterior to 1940, private fonds, iconographic collections and the library), management of the binding and restauration workshops
3. Service for Visitors: communication in the lecture hall (Centre Mahaut-d’Artois), responsibility of research done by correspondence and of cultural and educational activities
4. IT and communication service: coordination of the electronic archival projects, internal IT management, preparation and monitoring of the dematerialization projects, management of the photographic laboratory, responsible for the internet site
5. Support unit: administration and budget management, communication, maintenance of the building and premises
6. One project officer in charge of territorial and departmental projects: responsible for (sub)contracting operations and transnational cooperation, coordination of scientific verifications and technical support of the state.

As a public service of the departmental council, the Pas-de-Calais departmental archives are primarily responsible for preserving the archives of the administrations with jurisdiction in the department.

However, in order to enrich its holdings, the archives department may receive documents from private individuals or legal entities. This type of archive is mainly purchased, donated or deposited.

Warning: archive collections dating from before the mid-19th century in the Pas-de-Calais are often incomplete due to the destruction caused by the Great War (many old collections held by the departmental archives, the town hall and the courthouse in Arras were destroyed).

All the fonds and collections are governed by a classification framework. Within this framework, it is important to classify documents and draw up finding aids in order to locate information.

Read an overview of the collections here.

On 16 December 2019, the Pas-de-Calais Departmental Council decided to build a new building for the departmental archives. Work began in July 2022. Inauguration is currently scheduled for 2025. Read more...

The Pas-de-Calais departmental archives hold just over 38 linear kilometres of documents, the oldest dating back to the 11th century.

Finding Aids