State Archives in Belgium

The State Archives in Belgium (French Archives de l' État, . Flam Rijksarchief ) is a Belgian scientific establishment of the Federal Public Planning Service ( EPF) science policy. The State Archives consists of the General State Archives in Brussels and the 18 state archives services throughout Belgium. Each service has a reading room where the records of the public will be provided. There the reader can view documents and records on paper or in digital format, taking into account certain constraints due to the private nature of certain information. As a knowledge center for historical information and archive sciences, the State Archives preserves over 260 km and 25 km archival books on (end of 2012). Karel Velle, General Archivist of the Kingdom, is the general manager of the State Archives of Belgium.

• 2.2 Archive supervision
• 2.3 Acquisition of archives of public services and of private archives
• 2.4 service to the public
• 2.5 development of the archival heritage
• 2.6 Scientific Research
• 2.7 Digitization of archives

• 3.1 Under Austrian rule ( 1714-1795 )
• 3.2 From the French rule ( 1795-1814 ) to the United Kingdom of the Netherlands, (1815 - 1830)
• 3.3 From Belgium's independence until today (1830 - present)
• 3.4 Meaning of the Office of the General Archivist
• 3.5 The Belgian Archives Act
• 3.6 List of General archivists

Administrative organization

The General State Archives and the State Archives in the provinces consist of three departments:

Department I: archives of the Brussels -Capital Region

• National Archives ( seat of the institution)
• National Archives of 2 -depot Joseph Cuvelier
• Archives of the Royal Palace
• State Archives in Brussels (Anderlecht )

Department II: Archives in the Flemish provinces

• State Archives in Leuven
• State Archives in Kortrijk
• State Archives in Beveren
• State Archives in Hasselt
• State Archives in Ghent
• State Archives in Antwerp

Department III: archives in the Walloon provinces and in the German-speaking Community

• State Archives in Eupen
• State Archives in Tournai
• State Archives in Saint -Hubert
• State Archives in Namur
• State Archives in Mons
• State Archives in Louvain- la -Neuve
• State Archives in Liège
• State Archives in Arlon

A facility with multiple objectives

The physical preservation of archival materials is one of the main tasks of the National Archives. The archives will be stored long-term in specially equipped for this purpose magazines, meet the highest standards in terms of temperature, humidity, fire and flood protection. The documents are stored in folders and acid-free archive boxes which are provided with all the necessary identifiers. Private archivists can purchase these acid-free boxes of archives at the State Archives. Records, has been gnawing at the the ravages of time and leave damage, is being restored and re- integrated. To avoid damage to the frequently been provided documents ( parish registers, civil registers, maps, plans and drawings, very old charters on parchment ), they are copied to microfilm or more frequently also digitized. The Belgian State Archives coordinates the archive policy at the country level and seeks effective cooperation at the international level.

Archive supervision

The State Archives shall exercise supervision over the archives of public authorities: Belgian courts, courts, public administrations and institutions. No document archive that was created by a public authority or which they have received, may be destroyed without approval of the General Archivist or his deputy. This oversight of the public archives, the section "Archive supervision, opinions and coordination of the gathering and selecting of archive " of the State Archives and the other, the archivists of the individual state archive services in the provinces on the one hand commissioned. The former oversees the central services of the federal institutions, the latter practice the archive oversight of the external services of the federal authorities, the courts and tribunals of the judicial power and the regional and local authorities. Thus, the State Archives watches over the proper storage of archival documents that are created and managed by the Belgian public services. To this end, the State Archives shall adopt policies, leads inspection visits, organizes training for the officials and occurs as a consultant on the construction and the establishment of magazines and the organization of the archive management of public services. The guidelines, hints and recommendations can be downloaded from the website of the State Archives.

Acquisition of archives of public services and of private archives

The State Archives acquires and preserves ( by rating ) archives that are older than 30 years, and from courts and courts, notaries, as well as from the private sector and individuals come (companies, politicians, associations and societies, influential families, etc., have played a significant role in the social life of the country ). It watches over the proper discharge of public archives in accordance with archival standards.

Service to the public

The State Archives provides the public, taking into account the private nature of certain information the records available, which kept it. To this end, the State Archives has over reading rooms in each of its 19 departments. You have students, genealogists, historians, researchers, etc. the numerous archive documents in their original, ads in digital format or on microfilm. Various publications and tools to support the research ( inventories, archival guides, etc. ) are available in the reading room or can be purchased in the shop of the General State Archives. Another major task of the State Archives is to provide the public with as much information as possible on the Internet. Therefore, numerous publications can be downloaded for free on the website of the National Archives. For example, the church books, many more than 100 years old, civil records, the minutes of the Council meetings from 1917 to 1979, etc. In order to bring the richness and diversity of its collections closer to the general public, organized the State Archives, among other regular exhibitions in its various departments. In this thematic exhibitions archive are shown in their broader social and cultural context. These events exhibition catalog, a scientific study or an information brochure is usually released. Furthermore, organized the State Archives study days, conferences, symposia and seminars for specific target groups. The State Archives also takes part in various events (eg: Heritage Days ). The events will be announced on the website and the Facebook page and the newsletter of the National Archives.

Development of the archival heritage

Among the most important tasks of the scientific staff of the State Archives tapping into the huge quantity of stored in the device archival counts based on scientific finding aids: Guidelines, inventory surveys, inventories, institutional studies. These publications are intended to enable researchers to precisely the information they seek and find within a reasonable time.

The State Archives is a knowledge center for historical information and archive sciences. The scientific staff of the State Archives continuously provides scientific research on the field of archive science, conservation and institutional history of the archive forming facilities, and so within the framework of good execution of the above tasks in terms of acquisition, preservation, development and deployment of archives.

Scientific Research

As a scientific institution of the State Archives carries out scientific research in their fields through: Archival science, conservation and institutional history of the archive means forming. The implementation of the above tasks (acquisition, preservation, development and deployment) is not possible without continuous scientific research. A significant part of the scientific activities of the State Archives will take place in close cooperation with the universities of the country.

Digitization of archives

Recently, the State Archives has begun the extensive task of digitization of archives. To this end, all state archives services have been equipped with digital reading rooms. Since August 2009, the digitized church records and civil records of the country are made gradually to the public in the 19 reading rooms of the State Archives are available. Since January 2013 24.000 church records and a steadily increasing number of civil status registers can also be viewed free of charge on the website of the National Archives. Other types of documents can also be viewed on the website of the National Archives: Minutes of the Council of Ministers (1918-1979), Statistical Yearbook of Belgium ( and the Belgian Congo ) since 1870, over 20,000 seal casts, etc.

History of the General State Archives and the State Archives in the Provinces

Under Austrian rule (1714-1795)

The origins of the Belgian State Archives are located in the Austrian period. In 1773 an archive office was set up in Brussels. It was this to be a general and permanent custodian for the most important archives of the Austrian Netherlands, which is still a little timid at first should serve as an initial centralization of archives of the public sector.

From the French rule (1795 - 1814) to the United Kingdom of the Netherlands, (1815 - 1830)

The Law of 7 Messidor Year II [ June 25 1794 ] leads the creation of a central archive depots for the entire republic with himself. It also defines the fundamental and revolutionary principle after the archives of the nation's population will be provided. The Decree of 5 Brumaire Year V ( October 26, 1796 ) orders the establishment of an archive depots in each department. To archive depots were established in all departments, with the exception of the Department Twee Neten ( province of Antwerp ). As of 1800, the depots were subordinated to the Secretary General of the Prefecture. State- paid conservators were first appointed in Brussels and Liege and later in Mons and Ghent. Force of the Royal Decree 17 December 1851, the State Archives were assumed in the provinces the authority of the General Archivist.

From the independence of Belgium until today (1830 - present)

After the independence of Belgium State Archives services have been introduced in the following capitals of the provinces: Bruges (1834 ), Namur (1849 ), Arlon ( 1851), Hasselt (1869 ), Antwerp (1896) and Tournai ( 1834-1895 ). In 1964, four district depots were established: ( Since February 2008, closed) in Huy, Kortrijk, Ronse ( closed since September 2010) and Tournai. Peripheral depots in Saint -Hubert (1960) and Beveren (1964 ) to be opened. The Office of the State Archives in Eupen was created in 1988 as part of the second state reform in Belgium. The State Archives services in Leuven ( 2001), Anderlecht (2002) and Louvain- la -Neuve (2009) are formed by separating the province of Brabant. The National Archives 2 -depot Joseph Cuvelier will be inaugurated soon.

Importance of the Office of the General Archivist

In 1773, Count Jean -Baptiste Goswin de Wynants ( 1726-1796 ) was appointed in Brussels for the first Director General of the Archives of the Netherlands. The General Archivist lingered in Brussels. There also the central archive service remained after the withdrawal of the Austrians and the French arrived obtain and also gained in importance during the time of the Kingdom of the United Netherlands. Towards the end of 1814 was appointed in Brussels and entrusted with the supervision of the storage and archive management prepared by the authorities Pierre -Jean de l' Ortye for " archivist " of the General State Archives. In 1831, Louis- Prosper Gachard entered, his deputy since 1826, the successor and became the first truthful General Archivist of the kingdom. Gachard exercised his office from 1831 until his death on the eve of Christmas 1885.

The Belgian Archives Act

The State Archives is subject to the Archives Act of 24 June 1955 as amended by Act of May 6, 2009. During 2009 the deadline for public archives has been reduced from one hundred to thirty years. This action received after a transition time application and should be the expectations of citizens wishing to make historical or genealogical research. The access to certain archival documents is optionally limited, however, the legislation concerning the protection of privacy and the legislation on public access in civil records.

List of General archivists

• Pieter- Jan de L' Ortye (1814-1831) (Secretary - Archivist )
• Louis- Prosper Gachard (1831-1885) (Secretary - Archivist 1831-1859 )
• Charles Piot (1886-1897)
• Alphonse Goovaerts (1898-1904)
• Arthur Gaillard (1904-1912) ( on duty )
• Joseph Cuvelier (1912-1935) ( on duty from 1912 to 1913 )
• Dieudonné Brouwer (1936-1939)
• Camille Tihon (1939-1955)
• Etienne Sabbe (1955-1968)
• Carlos Wyffels (1968-1987)
• Ernest Persoons (1987-2002)
• Daniel Van Overstraeten (2002-2003) ( on duty )
• Herman Coppens (2004-2005) ( on duty )
• Karel Velle (2005 - present)

Bibliography

• Vanrie A., Bruxelles les archives et le quartier de la centrales Cour: organisée exposition à l' occasion du bicentenaire des Archives de l' État: Bruxelles: Archives générales du Royaume, 24 octobre 1996-13 janvier 1996 série Archives générales du Royaume et Archives de l' État dans les provinces. Service éducatif. Dossier. Première série. , Volume 16, Archives générales du Royaume, Bruxelles, 1996, 71 p.
• Coppens H. et Laurent R. ( sous la you. ), Les Archives de l' État en Belgique, 1796-1996, Historique de l' institution et répertoire bio - bibliographique of archivistes, Archives générales du Royaume, Publ.2410, Bruxelles, 1996, 661 p.