Rigsarkivet, Aabenraa

The Provincial Archives of Northern Jutland (originally Provincial Archives of Jutland) were created following the adoption of the first Archives Act in 1889. It was stipulated in the law that one of the archives should be located in Jutland. MPs from Aarhus, Vejle, Randers and Viborg tried to get the new archive located in their hometown. After lengthily discussions in parliament Viborg was selected. The Viborg Municipality donated the building site and the State paid for the construction of a new archive building. In addition, two other national archives were set up in the province: in Odense and Copenhagen. All three national archives were subdivisions under the Danish National Archives. The regional archives in Aabenraa joined in 1931. Several archives dating back prior to the 1920s are shared by The Danish National Archives, Aabenraa and Landesarchiv Schleswig-Holstein in the town of Schleswig (in present-day Germany). The historical development means that in many ways the archives maintained in Aabenraa differ from the other locations archives. In particular, this applies to: - Archives from the Schleswig provincial administration and local administration until 1864; - The archives of the local administration during the Prussian rule, from 1867 to 1920; - Numerous private association archives and personal papers from the national campaign since the 1840s; - Archives relating to the German minority during the Nazi rule, the occupation, and the later judicial purge; this includes archives seized from the German minority, 1920-1945. Like the other regional archives, The Danish National Archives have numerous records of great importance to genealogists. This includes Parish Registers (the oldest one dating back to 1573), census lists, civilian birth and death bi-registers (from 1874), registers of debts, pledges and mortgages (the oldest dates back to 1669), and land registers (approximately 1880-1950). The National Archives for Southern Jutland is part of the Danish National Archives. Geographically, it covers the area from Kongeåen to the current national border, i.e. the parts of Southern Jutland that came to Denmark at the reunification in 1920 - now Sønderjyllands amt. The National Archives receives and stores records from the local government offices and institutions in its area. In addition, you can find records from South Jutland municipalities, private institutions, associations and private individuals. The archive serves as the local archive for Aabenraa.