Poland Archives and Libraries

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Helpful guides to addresses of Polish repositories are:

  • Archives collect and preserve original documents of organizations such as governments or churches.
  • Libraries generally collect published sources such as books, maps, and microfilm. This section describes the major repositories of genealogical and historical records and sources for Poland. When one of these institutions is referred to elsewhere in this outline, return to this section to obtain the address.

If you plan to visit a repository in Poland, contact the organization and ask for information about its collection, hours, services, and fees.

Although the original records you need may be in an archive or library in Poland, the Family History Library may have a microfilm copy of them. The library has copies of many records from Polish archives.

The Polish government collects records relating to Polish history, culture, and people. These include records of genealogical value such as:

  • Transcripts of church records
  • Jewish records
  • Church records no longer in the possession of the church including many Protestant church records
  • Civil registration turned in by local civil registration offices
  • Census returns
  • Court records
  • Military records
  • Emigration lists
  • Land records

Poland has two major types of genealogical repositories: government-run archives and offices and church-run archives. Government-run archives include the state and provincial archives as well as the civil registry offices.

Archiwa w Polsce: Informator adresowy(Archives in Poland: Informant of Addresses). Warszawa: Naczelna Dyrekcja Archiwów Panstwowych, 1996. (FHL book 943.8 J54ap.) This guide describes the services of the archives and libraries in Poland as well as some limited information for major archives and libraries in other areas of the world.

Lewanski, Richard C. Guide to Polish Libraries and Archives. New York, New York: Columbia University Press, 1974. (FHL book 943.8 J54l.)

State Archives[edit | edit source]

There are several regional state archives. These collect civil records and civil transcripts (copies) of church records. Recent records, generally those less than 100 years old, are kept at local civil registration offices (Urząd Stanu Cywilnego).

The State Archives of Poland are not open to the public. Limited access is offered only to scholars who have first acquired permission from the state archive where they plan to visit. Some of the materials you need may be found in local church and civil offices.

Microfilm copies of many records at the Polish State Archives are available at the Family History Library, but the State Archives have several records that have not yet been filmed. If the records you need are not in the Family History Library collection, you may request information from, or photocopies of, the records you need by writing to the Directorate of the Polish State Archives (Naczelna Dyrekcja). They will forward your request to the appropriate state archive.

  • Naczelna Dyrekcja has published two books about the holdings of all the national archives in Poland:

Biernata, Andrzeja and Anny Laszuk. Archiwa panstwowe w Polsce, Przewodnik po zasobach (State Archives in Poland, Guide to Resources). Warszawa: "DiG," 1998.  (FHL book 943.8J54a 1998.)

Laszuk, Anna. Ksi.gi metrykalne i stanu cywilnego w archiwach panstwowych w Polsce, Informator(Parish and Civil Registration Records at State Archives in Poland, Directory).'Warszawa: Naczelna Dyrekcja Archiwów Panstwowych, 1998. (FHL book 943.8 J53k.)

Branches of State Archives of Poland[edit | edit source]

Regional branches of the State Archives, located in major cities, collect records of the area they serve.

Addresses of these archives are available on several Internet sites:

http://www.archiwa.gov.pl/?CIDA=380

http://www.poland.pl/archives/index.htm

For a listing of Polish archives with connections to the Internet see:

http://www.rootsweb.com/~polwgw/addresses.html

www.jewishgen.org/infofiles/polandv.html

http://www.jewishgen.org/infofiles/poland/PolishTownsArchives.htm


ARCHIVES[edit | edit source]

http://www.archiwa.gov.pl/ Polish State Archives in Warsaw.
http://www.katowice.ap.gov.pl/ State archives of Katowice
http://www.ap.wroc.pl/index_de.html State archives in Wrocław
http://www.gca.ch/Genealogie/Oels/staatsarchiv_breslau.htm Information about the State Archives in Breslau and information about Kreis Oels.

Provincial or County Archives[edit | edit source]

In Poland many provinces have their own repositories for records pertaining to their area that are separate from those of the national government.

Many records of genealogical value are kept by these archives, including:

  • Birth, marriage, and death records
  • Census records (when available)
  • Land records
  • Some church records

The provincial archives of Poland are not open to the public. Limited access is offered only to scholars and those who have received specific permission in writing from the Polish Directorate of the Polish State Archives in Warszawa.

Local Civil Offices[edit | edit source]

In Poland, records created by the local government less than 100 years ago—including birth, death, and marriage records—are kept in local offices. These records are not available to the public. For more information about these offices (which are comparable to county courthouses and town halls in the U.S.) and their records, see "Civil Registration" in this outline.

You can get information about records kept at local civil offices by writing to them. See Poland Letter Writing Guide.

Church Archives[edit | edit source]

Church archives collect records generated by the church, such as parish registers. Each diocese has its own policies regarding gathering records into the archive of the diocese. Generally, older records are found in the diocesan archives; more recent records are found at the local parish.

Some Catholic dioceses have gathered older records into a diocesan archive. You can write to these archives and request brief searches of their records. See "Church Records" in this outline.

Protestant church records are often difficult to locate in Poland; many have been lost due to wars and boundary changes. But some records have been filmed and are listed in the Family History Library Catalog. For a complete listing of Protestant Church archives and repositories, see references in the "Church Directories" section of this outline.

Many church records are kept by local parishes, which may also have earlier records. You can write to local parishes and church archives for information. See the "Church Records" section in this outline.

Other Libraries[edit | edit source]

Some useful sources, such as local histories, city directories, maps, newspapers, and genealogies, are available in major libraries in Poland and the United States. Contact these libraries and ask about their collection, hours, services, and fees.

Historical and Genealogical Societies[edit | edit source]

Very few historical and genealogical societies exist in Poland. Such societies may maintain libraries that collect genealogical records. For more information, including addresses of some societies, see the "Societies" section in this outline.

Inventories, Registers, and Catalogs[edit | edit source]

Many archives have catalogs, inventories, guides, or periodicals that describe their records and how to use them. If possible, study these guides before you visit an archive so that you can use your time more effectively.

The Family History Library has copies of several published inventories, catalogs, directories, and guides of other libraries. These records are listed in the Family History Library Catalog under:

POLAND - ARCHIVES AND LIBRARIES

POLAND, (COUNTY) - ARCHIVES AND LIBRARIES

Web Sites[edit | edit source]

http://www.loc.gov/rr/international/european/poland/resources/pl-libraries.html

http://palimpsest.stanford.edu/byorg/abbey/an/an21/an21-3/an21-302.html

http://www.chipublib.org/001hwlc/litpolgenealogy.html

Family History Library (FHL); now called, FamilySearch Library (FSL)

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