Státní okresní archiv Most

The lists of documents and copies of documents relating to Most and its surroundings are dated as early as the 16th century. The first known archivist was V. Caldarar who was mentioned in a report from 1762. Before 1820 the archive was located on the second floor of the town hall. After 1850, the documents were moved several times and eventually wound up in a building that later served as the municipal museum. In the first half of the 20th century, the archive and the museum formed one facility. The then archivist K. Oberdorffer focused mainly on the professional storage of archival materials and the opening of the Most city fond, including the restoration of several books. At the end of the Second World War, the most valuable materials were transferred to Milešov Chateau. The archives and museum were split in the early 1950s. The District Archive in Most was officially established on 4 December 1953. As a result of the administrative reforms carried out in 1960, the Litvínov and Most District Archives were merged into one facility managed by the District National Committee in Most. Due to a lack of storage space for the archives, the city of Most acquired the first purpose-built archive building built in the Czech Republic after 1945. Its construction began in September 1979 and the grand opening took place in March 1984. An amendment to the Archives Act saw the archives renamed as the State District Archives Most and, in 2002, it came under the responsibility of the State Regional Archive in in Litoměřice. However, the scope of its activities within the region did not substantially change.  

The SOkA Most stores 735 fonds and collections with a total range of 1,526.38 linear metres. Of these, 650 have already professionally processed, although some only partially. To date, 665 archive aids of all kinds have been made available. From the historical point of view, the most important fond is the Archive of the City of Most, containing documents from 1315-1945 (227.90 linear metres). The largest collection, however, is District National Committee Most II (349 linear metres) Other important and much sought-after collections include: The City of Hora Svaté Kateřiny (1528) 1552-1945 (18.15 linear metres); Archives of the town Horní Litvínov 1553-1945 (1948) (18.55 linear metres); City Archive Lom 1836-1945 (1946) (3.25 linear metres); Municipal National Committee Most (1940) 1945-1990 (1992) (104.05 linear metres); Town National Committee Meziboří 1945-1990 (19.70 linear metres); Litvínov Municipal National Committee (1943) 1945-1990 (18.55 linear metres); Town National Committee Lom (1892) 1945-1990 (17.30 linear metres); District National Committee Most I (1944) 1945-1960 (1961) (5.60 linear metres); Litvínov District National Committee (1945) 1949-1960 (3,50 linear metres); KSČ - district committee Most 1947-1989 (26,75 linear metres). Of the other types of fonds, the documents of schools and associations are also widely used. Among the most recent materials, studies documenting the destruction of Old Most and a number of municipalities in the district are significant. SOkA Most also boasts a Collection of Contemporary Documentation, containing newspaper clippings of events that took place in Most and elsewhere in the region. As well as a fragmented set of cuttings dating back as far as 1868, the collection includes a comprehensive series from 1952 to the present. The Collection of Photographs and Prints of the Most District is also widely used in research, containing 47,755 photographs and another 2,393 individuals items, such as negatives, slides and photo albums.