Državni arhiv u Osijeku

Archival sources predating the end of the 17th century are rare for the region of Slavonia, Baranja, and Srijem, as practically all archives in the region were destroyed, especially during the Ottoman wars. Systematic care of the records started in the period after the end of Ottoman rule of Slavonia. The city statute of Osijek from 1698 adopted a provision that"the tax and administrative documents, cash and city seal must be kept in a safe place" When Osijek became a free royal city in 1809, it modelled its archives after other cities. Other government bodies, the nobility, and the Church had archives, some of which are preserved today. The archives in Osijek included what was known then as the"larger district of Osije", i.e., the present counties of Osijek-Baranja, Vukovar-Srijem, and Virovitica. A new chapter in the perception of archives as cultural heritage occurred after 1945. In 1947, the Ministry of Education established the Osijek branch of the State Archives in Zagreb. In 1957 a special archival sub-branch was founded, which collected, processed, and published important materials about the labour movement (Partijski arhiv), the Communist Party, and the partisan struggle during the Second World War. The archive was severely damaged during the war in 1991/1992, but was gradually repaired and resumed regular work. Because of the overwhelming needs of storing material and the lack of space in the central archive in Osijek, new archival collection centres were founded in the town of Vinkovci (1989) and Virovitica (1999). As of May 2009, the territorial jurisdiction of the State Archives in Osijek only extends to the territory of Osijek-Baranja County, as the newly formed National Archives in Vukovar began operating in January 2009 for their county, as did the State Archives in Virovitica in the same year, covering Virovitica county (all these are in the Slavonia region of Croatia). 

For archival holdings other than those specified here, it is recommended to contact the archivists at the Osijek State Archive.  

Please note: most of the archival material on the Jewish community of what is today continental Croatia (Osijek and its broader region of Slavonija) is found in Belgrade's Jevrejski istorijski muzej (Jewish Historical Museum) in Serbia. For material about Osijek specifically, if in Belgrade look for collections such as 'Jevrejska opcina Osijek,' etc.