Rijksarchief te Brugge / Archives de l'Etat à Bruges

The French law of 26 October 1796 (5 Brumaire V) laid the foundations of the organisational structure of the present-day Belgian State Archives. The law stipulated that the archives of institutions and administrations abolished by the French authorities were to be collected and preserved at the regional metropolis of each newly created ‘Département’. In 1831, the archive depot in Brussels was officially named the “Archives Générales du Royaume” (National Archives of Belgium). By virtue of the Royal Decree of 17 December 1851, the “Archives de l’État dans les Provinces” (State Archives in the Provinces) were placed under the authority of the National Archivist. Now broadly known as ‘the State Archives of Belgium’, the National Archives and the State Archives in the Provinces are a federal academic organisation that forms part of the Belgian Federal Science Policy Office (BELSPO). The State Archives are made up of the National Archives in Brussels and 17 State Archives that are distributed throughout the country. The State Archives’ role is to ensure the proper preservation of archival documents produced and managed by the state authorities. In order to fulfil its responsibilities, the State Archives issue directives and recommendations; conduct inspections and organise training for civil servants. The State Archives also act as an advisory body for the construction and preparation of premises for the conservation of archives and for the organisation of archive management within public institutions. The State Archives obtain and preserve (following sorting) archival documents that are at least 30 years old from courts, tribunals, public authorities, notaries and from the private sector and private individuals (companies, politicians, associations and societies, influential families, etc. that have played an important role in society). They ensure that public archives are transferred according to strict archival standards. The State Archives in Bruges can currently hold up to 25 linear kilometres of archives. Its new building, opened to the public in 2013, currently holds some 13.5 km of archives, including some 5.5 km of archives that, until recently, were held by State Archives in Beveren. 

For information on reproduction services and fees, please visit the following web page: http://arch.arch.be/index.php?l=en&m=practical-information&r=reproductions 

The State Archives in Bruges manage the archives transferred by the public institutions and notaries of the former judicial districts of Bruges, Ypres, Furnes and the province of West Flanders (partial archives). The State Archives in Bruges also holds the archives of municipalities, religious institutions, parishes, public social welfare centres, polders, water boards, companies, and influential associations, families and politicians in the region. The historical library of the State Archives in Bruges contains some 20,000 titles, including 200 old printed documents. The State Archives in Bruges also hold an important collection of maps. For a more detailed overview of the State Archives in Bruges' holdings see: - http://www.arch.be/index.php?l=nl&m=praktische-info&r=onze-leeszalen&d=brugge#archives-conservees (in Dutch) - http://www.arch.be/index.php?l=fr&m=en-pratique&r=nos-salles-de-lecture&d=bruges#archives-conservees (in French) 

Since 1 June 2018, access to the reading rooms of the State Archives is free. This new measure has been put in place to ensure access to our archives for all citizens. The State Archives online archives, which include civil status and church registers that are older than 100 years, can be accessed for free as well. For other fees that may apply, please see: http://www.arch.be/docs/tarifs.pdf