Historisch Centrum Leeuwarden

The Historisch Centrum Leeuwarden emerged in 2001 from the former municipal archives of Leeuwarden (the oldest city archive in the Netherlands). 

The oldest document in the Historisch Centrum Leeuwarden is from the 13th century. Newer archives include population registers from the 19th and 20th century. In the course of time the archives of municipal institutions such as schools and the police were also managed by the HCL. Later the churches also gave their archives. Furthermore collected archives of companies, families and associations are also managed by the center. The HCL now has 3,000 linear meters of archives over 250 different agencies and individuals. 

On Saturdays and Sundays, the reading room is open on a self-service basis. This means no pieces from the depots can be requested. However, it is possible to request documents by e-mail no later than Thursday morning.