Warsaw in Postcards	Occupation Photography

The State Archives in Poland preserve valuable records of a permanent historical and research value. These records include e.g. cartographic collections, records of governmental, regional and local administration, organizations and public institutions, financial institutions and cooperatives. The State Archives also preserve registers from various churches, public registers, records of schools, educational institutions, courts, notary and private property records, private papers and private collections. Public register records which are kept in the State Archives are over 100 years old.

After the destruction of the Warsaw City Archives and their holdings in 1944, Warsaw local administration takes steps to reactivate and reconstruct this institution. Archival staff started to search for holdings which survived World War II. It was impossible to recreate the municipal administration records from 19th and 20th century (the oldest municipal administration records coming from up to the end of 19th century were preserved in the Archives of Historical Records in Warsaw). However, the missing records were replaced by new ones, some of them received as gifts.

The Last Will of Hugon Kołłątaj (1750-1812) Enlightenment activist, collaborator of the Major of Warsaw J. Dekert, co-author of the May 3rd , 1791 Constitution of Poland, participant in Kościuszko Uprising in 1794.

Because of the loss of the most precious materials nowadays the most valuable records in the holdings of the State Archives of Warsaw are records of Russian Governor Administration in Warsaw, Warsaw Imperial University, Technical University of Warsaw, Russian Police in Warsaw and Russian Security Internal Police "Ochrana" in Warsaw.
The most valuable historical materials for research of a social history of citizens of Warsaw include private property and notary records. Among them you can find last wills of famous people in the history of Poland, like for example Hugon Kołłątaj and Prince Józef Poniatowski. Over 2500 volumes of public register records containing information related to citizens of Warsaw and Masovia region are an excellent starting point for genealogical research. Also very valuable is the collection of Warsaw maps and plans from 1762 to present times, with very interesting plans of Warsaw by Lindley.
After World War II records of Commissary Mayor of Warsaw (1939-1944) were excavated from the ruins of the New City Hall. Amongst the most precious are also records of the capital City Reconstruction Office, which document the reconstruction of Warsaw after the World War II.
The Divisions of the State Archives in Warsaw preserve very valuable archival materials for regional and local history research.

The archival holdings of the State Archives in Warsaw (without the Divisions) contain 2901 archival fonds and collections, 1,162,926 volumes of records, 10,013.32 linear meters (data from the end of 2005).

Attention! While searching particular records you may use the national Internet-based databases describing archival collections in Poland.