Державний архів Волинської області

The archives was founded in December, 1939 under the name of Volyn Oblast Historical Archive, subordinated to the Volyn Oblast Archive Department of the Ukrainian People's Commissariat of Internal Affairs. In 1941 it was given a new name - State Archives of Volyn Oblast. During the years of Nazi occupation from June, 1941 it stops its work and resumes operation after liberation of the region in March, 1944. During this period archived collections diminished, lossing 1163947 units. In 1958 the Archives gets the name of the Volyn Oblast State Archives and (since 1960) submits to the Executive Committee of Volyn Oblast Soviet of Working People's Deputies; from 1980 - the Volyn Oblast State Archives. From October, 5, 1988 because of the liquidation of archives department of the Volyn Oblast Executive Committee, it carries out management of archives in the Oblast and is a scientific and methodical centre. From 1997 it is a structural subdivision of the Oblast State Administration.  

In the archives some documents from the XVI century are preserved: royal donatives' charters and privileges, church metrical and marriage books and some documents from collection gathered by Volyn Union of the Friends of Science. The collections of Russian Empire period (1796-1919) comprise documents of the local state government bodies, city and district self-government (city councils and justices, land tenure commissions, area, district justices), judicial and police bodies (Lutsk area court, area courts). The state of education is partly described in documents of Lutsk high schools, Lutsk pro-gymnasium. History of religion and church establishments is characterized by the funds of the Lutsk Uniate General Theological Consistory, Volodymyr-Volynskyi, Kovel, Lutsk ecclesiastic rules and dean's offices. For period of Volyn possession by Poland (1921-1939) the collections of Volyn Voivodship are preserved: local state administration bodies, village councils, Lutsk city government. Development of industry, agriculture and forestry is described in the documents of Volyn regional land tenure and land tenures collections, Directorate of the state forests in the town of Lutsk. The financial state of Volyn Region is characterized by the documents of area treasuries, Volyn financial chamber, department of Polish state bank in Lutsk. Activity of police bodies, court and offices of public prosecutor are represented in the collections of Volyn state police as well as Lutsk regional court, and Office of Public Prosecutor, prisons of Kovel and Lutsk. Functioning of educational, cultural and training establishments and bodies is highlighted by the documents of curatorium of Volyn school district, Rivne, Kovel and Lutsk school inspectorates, Lutsk high schools among them - Lutsk Ukrainian high school named after Lesya Ukrainka. Documents from the collections of Volyn society of theatrical culture distribution, department of"Prosvit" society, Volyn Ukrainian association, Ukrainian parliamentary representation in Volyn Region, Lutsk Union of Orthodox faith adherents named after Petro Mohyla, represented struggle of Volyn people the maintenance of Ukrainian language, culture, faith, traditions etc. Informative base of Nazi occupation period of Volyn region (1941-1944) is insignificant. Among the collections of this period there is the collection of the Volyn Ukrainian Nationalists Organization, the documents of which concern the activity of the Ukrainian Nationalists Organization - Ukrainian Insurgent Army in Volyn Region. The most complete in the Archives are the documents of Soviet institutions, organizations, industrial enterprises, finаnсіal bodies, educational establishments that resumed operation or were created in the post-war period. Important documents are in the collections of leading bodies in religious affairs. They contain information about temples, priests, important events in history of the Region. The Archives preserves collections of personal origin, concerning life, activity, works of the prominent people of Volyn Region - scientists, teachers, writers, journalists, artists, industrial and agriculture workers. Here there are the evidences of Holodomor in Ukraine (1932-1933), prisoners of the Stalin camps narratives, information about persecuted priests, recollections of Volodymyr-Volynsky district habitants about Ukrainian and Polish relations in 1939-1952. Collections of the former Communist Party of Ukraine, the Volyn Oblast Committee Komsomol (1939-1991), town and rayon committees of Party and Komsomol (1944-1991), as well as so-called filter affairs from the collection of the Security Department of Ukraine in Volyn Region, concerning the citizens, taken out for the forced labour by Nazi occupiers (1942-1944), criminal cases of out-of-court bodies, rehabilitated citizens (1939-1992) have been transferred to the regional archives in 1991. Cine-documents of the Archives comprise the films about opening of the Memorial complex in the burned by Nazi village of Kortelisy, Ratno district, historical events in Volyn region, as well as items about Ukrainian-Polish conflict in the late 40th of the XXth century, celebration of 1000th anniversary of Volodymyr-Volynsky and others. Total Volume of Collections 4778 collections, 1149003 units from the XVI century till 2009; 690 units of scientific and technical documents for the period of 1945-1984; 3 units of film documents for the period of 1981-1982; 31681 units of documentary photographs for the period of 1917-2010; 373 units items of phono-documents for the period of 1945-2005; 8 units of video-documents for 1992, 1994, 1998, 2004, 2010. 

Archive holds records from the Volhynia Region from XVI century until 2009.