Lithuania Archives and Libraries

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Lithuania

Archives and Libraries

• Archives collect and preserve original documents of organizations such as churches or governments. Libraries generally collect published sources such as books, maps, and microfilm.
• If you plan to visit a repository, contact them and ask for information about their collection, hours, services, and fees. Ask if they require you to have a reader’s ticket (a paper indicating you are a responsible researcher) to view the records, and ask how to obtain one.
• Although the records you need may be in an archive or library, the FamilySearch Library may have microfilmed and/or digitized copies of them.

Archives

Online Database

• Epaveldas

For genealogical search, people often use various data bases and information provided by the virtual archives. Epaveldas is the biggest data base in Lithuania, where one can obtain genealogical information. At present (December 2022), one can find digital images of 2,312 record books from 91 Lithuanian Roman Catholic churches in the data base of this website. They relate to the period of 1599 – 1940. The data base is constantly expanding.

The complete list of all Roman Catholic church record books that had already been, or are being digitalized can be found on the website of the Office of the Chief Archivist of Lithuania.

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National Archives

Lithuanian State History Archive
Mindaugo g. 8, Vilnius, LT-03134
Lithuania

Telephone: + 370 5 2137482
Email address: istorijos.archyvas@lvia.lt
Website
Genealogical Search

These are the main genealogical sources of the 18th – 20th cc. preserved in the Lithuanian State Historical Archives:

• Birth, marriage, divorce and death church records books of various confessions,
• Birth, marriage, divorce, death civil registries, etc.
• Pre-marital questioning books,
• Lists of parishioners,
• Acts verifying the nobility,
• Lists of noble families,
• Estate inventory lists,
• Lists of auditing.

The Archives preserve almost all 18th – 20th cc. church record books from Vilnius, Seinai, Telšiai (Samogitia) Roman Catholic dioceses, and the record books of 1924 – 1940 from Panevėžys, Kaunas, Kaišiadorys, Vilkaviškis Roman Catholic churches. These church books contain records of baptisms, marriages and deaths.

The Archives also preserve record books from the churches of other confessions in Lithuania – Russian Orthodox, Old Believers, Jewish, Evangelical Reformed, Lutheran, Moslem, Karaite – with birth, marriage, divorce and death records.

There are also documents of the civil marriage registry offices of 1940 – 2007.

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Lithuanian Central State Archives
O. Milašiaus 21
LT 10102 Vilnius, Lithuania

Telephone: +370 5 247 7811
Fax: +370 5 276 5318
Email: lcva@archyvai.lt
Website
Genealogical Search

These are the main genealogical sources of the 20th c. preserved in the Lithuanian Central State Archives:

• Domestic and foreign passports of the citizens of the Republic of Lithuania,
• Documents of volunteers, conscripts, soldiers and officers of the Army of the Republic of Lithuania,
• Documents referring to the land reform,
• Personal files of teachers, pupils and students,
• Documents of persons abducted as forced labourers to Germany,
• The population census data from 1942 and 1959, and others.

Regional Archives

The regional (county) archives list their collections (fonds) on their websites.

Vilnius Regional State Archive Utena Branch of the Vilnius Regional State Archive Kaunas Regional State Archive Alytus Branch of Kaunas Regional State Archive Fonds Marijampolė Branch of Kaunas Regional State Archive

Klaipėda Regional State Archive Tauragė Branch of the Klaipėda Regional State Archive Telšiai Branch of the Klaipėda Regional State Archive Šiauliai Regional State Archive Panevėžys Branch of Šiauliai Regional State Archive

Libraries

National Library of Lithuania
Gedimino pr. 51
LT-01504 Vilnius
Lithuania

Information phone: 8 5) 249 7028
Registration(8 5) 249 7013
Telephone:(8 5) 249 7023
Fax: (8 5) 249 6129
Email: biblio@lnb.lt
Website

At the Rare Book and Manuscript Department of the Martynas Mažvydas Lithuanian National Library of Lithuania, there are record books of some Telšiai (Samogitian) diocese churches preserved.

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Vilnius University Library University st. 3, LT-01122, Vilnius, Lithuania

Email: mb@mb.vu.lt Website
Manuscripts

In the Manuscript Department of the Vilnius University Library, there are record books of some Roman Catholic churches and 230 personal fonds preserved.

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Wroblewski Library of the Lithuanian Academy of Sciences
Žygimantų str. 1
LT-01102 Vilnius, Lithuania

Telephone: (8 5) 262 9537
Email: biblioteka@mab.lt
Website

In the Manuscript Department of the Wroblewski Library of the Lithuanian Academy of Sciences, there are record books of some churches and inventory lists of Lithuanian estates preserved.

Museums

Google Listings: Museums/Lithuania

Record Offices

Lithuanian Central State Archives
Mailing address:
O. Milašiaus 21, LT-10102
Vilnius, Lithuania

Telephone: +370 5 247 7830

+370 5 247 7811

Fax: +370 5 276 5318
Email: lcva@archyvai.lt
Reserved e-mail: valstybes.archyvas@gmail.com
Website

The Soviet government implemented civil registration in Lithuania in 1940. Metrical book transcripts had served this purpose previously. Registration offices are next to “marriage palaces” permitting the registration and performance of weddings to occur at the same place and time.

"Lithuanian State Historical Archives is the main repository of records for the Lithuanian history from the 13th century up to the declaration of the Independence of Lithuania in 1918 (civil registry and vital records up until to our days).