Participating Archives

The Swiss Federal Archives (SFA) are the Confederation's service and competence centre for lasting information management. They appraise, secure, describe and provide access to archive-worthy records of the Swiss Confederation.

The Federal Archives provide access to the documents of Parliament, the Federal Council, the federal administration and Switzerland’s representations abroad since 1798. There are currently over 60 linear kilometres of documents in the Federal Archives, most of them dating from the 19th and 20th centuries. An overview of the archived documents can be found on the website of the SFA.

The State Archives of Aargau gather the archival cultural assets of the canton and ensure their correct preservation, indexing and accessibility. By permanently documenting official documents, the State Archives of Aargau make government policies understandable and enable scientific research. The legal basis for this is the Law on Public Information, Data Protection and the Archives (IDAG) dated 24th october 2006. The State Archives of Aargau are a public institution and accessible to all interested parties during opening hours.

Inventory
The State Archives of Aargau inventory extends from the High Middle Ages to the present day. They include extensive documentation from the time predating the canton. In addition to around 10,000 charters, the State Archives of Aargau store valuable books and records from religious and secular overlords, among them the Aargau monasteries of Wettingen, Königsfelden and Muri. The brief period of the Helvetic Republic (1798-1803) is also well documented. The government and administrative files of the Canton of Aargau (founded in 1803) make up the majority of the written records. The core inventory is supplemented with private bequests from individuals, companies and organisations that are of interest to the public. Moreover, the State Archives of Aargau maintain collections featuring drawings, plans, photographs and films, and operate an extensive specialised library.

The central location for the conservation of documents from the canton’s public institutions that are worth preserving is the State Archives of the Canton of Appenzell Innerrhoden. It is one of the canton’s documentation centers and, with due regard for data protection, it provides information about the history of the region, church, art and culture of Appenzell Innerrhoden from the middle of the 12th century to the present.
The state archives also holds the joint archives of both Appenzells, which contains documents up to their division in 1597.
These state holdings are supplemented with numerous archives from church parishes, school communities, corporations, foundations, associations, businesses and prominent public figures of Appenzell.

The State Archives of Appenzell Outer-Rhodes guarantees an authentic tradition of the canton’s history. It is responsible for analog and electronic documents of the cantonal institutions and its legal predecessors. In addition, it accepts archival records from private individuals, companies, associations and public institutions of cantonal importance and maintains collections and documentation.

Legal basic constitute the Archives Act of 22 March 2010.

The twelve archival departments essentially cover the period from 1597 to the present.

The State Archives of Basel-Landschaft are the central archive of the cantonal administration. The State Archives are responsible for safeguarding authentic, legal, political, economical, social, historical or culturally relevant documents.
The Act on Archiving of 11.05.2006 (SGS 163) provides the legal basis.

The archival holdings reflect 700 years of the canton’s history as well as the history of the cantonal administration. The archives contain records before and after the separation of the Canton Basel and the foundation of the two cantons Basel-Stadt and Basel-Landschaft in 1832/33. In the 1950s the archival description and arranging changes from the principle of pertinence system (thematically, subject content) to provenance system (regarding the origin of records creators).

The Documents of the cantonal administration and of courts are building the main emphasis quantitatively. The Archives also hold private source material (from individuals, companies, societies and political parties) and collections of photographs, maps, plans and newspapers. Today there are approximately 19'000 shelf metres of files in the State Archives.

The State Archives Basel-Stadt ensures the preservation of a unique and irreplaceable cultural heritage. It guarantees the permanent documentation of historical records for public institutions and communities, particularly with regard to research and education. It bridges yesterday and today by preserving the information necessary for understanding the past and making it accessible.

The inventory covers the period from the Middle Ages to the present day. No major disasters, such as fires or wars, have taken place in the city since 1356; as a result there is an incredible wealth of historical documentation. However, the archives were divided in 1834 as a result of cantonal separation.

In addition to the Cantonal records, numerous important private archives are preserved. Additionally, the written historical documentation is supplemented by extensive pictorial image and map collections as well as audio-visual documents.

The public has the right to make use of the Cantonal archives and this is normally free of charge. Research is supported by an online catalogue and by providing advice in response to enquiries.

The Cantonal archive supports the government offices of the city of Basel with document management and exchange. A decision is made as to which documents have lasting historical value. In addition, the Cantonal archive accepts documents from private sources if they are of historical importance.

The State Archives of Bern collects, registers and preserves the canton's archival heritage. It stocks all the state's archival holdings worthy of preservation and makes them available to the public in its reading rooms.

Holdings:
The State Archives preserves the archival records from the former City State of Bern (up to 1798), the Helvetian cantons of Bern and Oberland (1798-1803), and the records of the Bernese cantonal administration from 1803 to the present day.
In addition to the cantonal holdings, the Archives also hold private source material (personal bequests, family archives, society and company archives etc.) and have a comprehensive specialist library.

• around 24 000 shelf metres of files
• 38 100 official documents
• around 25 000 maps and plans
• 1.2 million photographs and negatives

• 49 000 books
• 168 periodicals
• Around 250 newspapers (including 30 currently issued newspapers)
• Official publications (Canton of Bern and the Confederation)

Our library stocks can be found in the catalogue swisscovery Bern special libraries.

The Sate Archives, cantonal institution, have for mission to ensure the formation, the management and the conservation of public archives in general and, more particularly, of the historical archives. They thus manage the filing of official documents issued by the three powers of the State (legislative, executive and judiciary), as well as of the important institutions bound to the State, such as the University Hospital.
The State Archives are therefore the memory of the State, its activities and its functioning.

The State Archives preserve :

• the Geneva archives prior to the Reformation, consisting in land ownership instruments and episcopal, noble, imperial and pontifical privileges, along with the first proper administrative documents, such as account books (since 1364) or City Council registers (since 1409);
• the archives of the former Republic of Geneva, from 1536 to 1789;
• the archives of the Lemanic Department, from 1789 to 1813;
• the archives of the Republic and canton of Geneva, issued by the legislative, executive and judiciary powers, from 1814 until today.

The AEG also preserve private records concerning Geneva or its region, such as family, company and parish archives, and archives of architects and associations.

The State Archives of Glarus preserves the cultural heritage of the Canton of Glarus. It ensures a permanent documentary transmission and the traceability of state action for the cantonal public authorities as well as for the public, especially for research and education. For this purpose, the archives, together with files or data of institutions which are subject to the obligation to make an offer, can take over research-relevant archive material of private origin.

The Archives also include the documents of the state structures before the birth of the modern canton in 1837. This includes the Old Common Archives of the Land of Glarus from the 14th century and the archives of the denominational regions from the Reformation to 1798, then the Helvetic Archive (Canton Linth 1798-1803) as well as the New Catholic, the New Evangelical and the New Commons Archive from 1803 to 1837. From 1837 documents with state pertinence are assigned to the New Archive before these were replaced by provenance record groups. The existence of a special case is the existence of the Federal Linth Commission and its predecessor organizations from the early 19th century onwards. And there are also many private archives and collections, with a broad spectrum of provenances or archival forms. There is also a library at the reading room.

The State Archives of Graubünden store, manage and validate documents on the history of Graubünden as well as all administrative records essential to safeguarding the rights and interests of the canton.

The State Archives act as the historical memory of the canton and its inhabitants by securing and administrating a unique written cultural heritage, mostly sole copies – from medieval parchments through to electronic data – and making it available to researchers and those interested in Graubünden's history and culture.

The oldest collections of the State Archives date back to the High Middle Ages. Besides administrative records of the canton of Graubünden since 1803, the State Archives contain the manuscripts of the republic of the Three Leagues (Freistaat der Drei Bünde) from the end of the 15th century through to 1798 and the Helvetic Archives 1798-1803. These official records are complemented by numerous non-cantonal archive groups stemming from families, companies, associations, estates etc. Furthermore, the State Archives hold a wide range of documents, photos, plan collections and genealogical records. A multitude of resources are thus available to the users.

The reading room can be used by the general public free of charge. Finding aids are available as pdf documents or as part of the online catalogue on the www.staatsarchiv.gr.ch website. An overview of all collections kept at the State Archives can be found here.

The State Archives support the offices of the Cantonal Administration and the districts and communities with regard to records management and archiving, and advise institutions and individuals on how to use the archives and locate items.

The ArCJ conserve over 4km of archives mainly dating from the 19th and 20th centuries. They file, collect, sort, describe and conserve documents of permanent value, of all ages and from a variety of sources.
In addition to the archives produced by official bodies, the ArCJ manage the archives of the Bern period, the private archives of famous personalities, businesses, societies and associations (private deposits). They also compile documentary files concerning the history of Jura. These are made available to the general public in their reading room.

Deposits:
1) Administrative archives (1979 to date). In accordance with the law governing archival storage dated 20 October 2010 (LArch: RSJU 441.21), the ArCJ work in a cross-disciplinary manner with the administration departments of the Republic and Canton of Jura to schedule the life-cycle of their files. The ArCJ conserve the archives produced by the official bodies since the accession to sovereignty of the Canton in 1979. In accordance with the LArch legislation, administrative files become public 15 years after they are closed.
2) The Bern period: 1815-1978. The ArCJ conserve the archives of the decentralised administration of the three founding districts: Delémont, les Franches-Montagnes and Porrentruy. This includes the prefectures, the land registry offices, the district courts; the district highways agencies, the district forestry administrations, the cantonal schools, and a number of other deposits. Where the hierarchical decision-making level is higher than those referred to above, case files are conserved by the Archives de l'Etat de Berne [Bern State Archives].
3) Private deposits. The ArCJ have collected over 200 private archive deposits from private individuals or legal entities that have played an important role in the history of Jura. Amongst the natural persons the following can be mentioned:

• Auguste Viatte, a professor of French in Québec and one of the founders of the French-speaking movement;
• Eugène Péquignot, secretary of the Federal Department of the Economy for 40 years;
• and also Roland Béguelin, founder of the Rassemblement jurassien

• the archives of the Condor company in Courfaivre, which has supplied the Swiss army with bicycles for very many years;
• the Rassemblement jurassien, a political movement at the origins of the creation of the Republic and Canton of Jura;
• the action committee opposed to the establishment of a parade ground in Franches-Montagnes.

• 4000 linear metres of files
• approximately 5000 maps
• 25,000 press photos

According to their statutory mission, the State Archives of Lucerne secure, describe and provide access to all archive-worthy records about the canton of Lucerne, both from the cantonal institutions and of private origin.

The archive's holdings can be divided into four groups:

• the administrative records of the city of Lucerne and the Swiss federal state of the 13th to the 18th century,
• the documentation of the cantonal administration and courts since 1798,
• the archives of the monasteries abolished in the 19th century, including the Cistercian monastery of St. Urban, the Franciscan monasteries of Werthenstein and Lucerne and the Houses of the Military Orders in Hitzkirch, Hohenrain and Reiden,
• the archives of private persons and institutions such as associations, political parties and industrial or commercial enterprises. This group includes in particular the documents of Catholic organizations working throughout Switzerland. e.g. Caritas Switzerland, Fastenopfer, Swiss Catholic Women's League or the National Board of Jungwacht and Blauring.

The State Archives is responsible for collecting, preserving and making available the archives of the Republic and Canton of Neuchâtel. Il does participate in the constitution of the collective memory, in the legal security of the State and in the traceability of public activities.

Around 400 public and private archival collections, representing nearly 12 linear kilometres, are available to the public, researchers and the administration. Their inventories can be accessed via the portail des archives neuchâteloises.

The Nidwalden State Archives are the public archives of the canton. They preserve unique cultural assets from more than 800 years of Nidwalden history.

Holdings
The holdings in the State Archives date back to 1218 and cover three areas:

• Cantonal holdings
• Private archives and collections
• Municipal, church and corporate archives.

The State Archive of Obwalden guarantees an authentic tradition of the canton’s history. It is responsible for analog and electronic documents of the cantonal institutions and its legal predecessors. In addition, it accepts archival records from private individuals, companies, associations and public institutions of cantonal importance and maintains collections and documentation.

The legal basis is constituted by the Ordinance on the State Archives of 18th October 1996.

The ten archival departments essentially cover the period from 1210 to the present.

The State Archives of Schaffhausen serve as the central archive and public record office for the Canton of Schaffhausen since 1831. They collect official papers and public records from the government, the administration, the parliament, and the judiciary of the Canton of Schaffhausen. The State Archives of Schaffhausen have been located on the same premises since the early 17th century, when the city state of Schaffhausen built its first archive to house official papers and records from the state council.

Today, the overall number of official papers and records comprises a length of approximately 4 km. Among them are the funds relating to the former monasteries of Allerheiligen (founded in 1049) and St Agnes (founded around 1080) in the town of Schaffhausen, as well as the former monastery of St George (founded around 1005) in the town of Stein am Rhein. These monasteries were dissolved during the Reformation in the 1520s and replaced by an administration formed of officials, elected and appointed by the state council. The papers and records relating to this administration and to the daily business of the state council of Schaffhausen are kept in the State Archives and form the core material of the old collection. The oldest document dates back to the year 987.

Of particular importance are the following:

• 6000 parchment and paper documents dating back to 987 AD
• treaties signed by the state council
• minutes and records of the state council from 1467 to 1830
• minutes and records of the government and the administration of the Canton of Schaffhausen from 1831
• public records of the Canton of Schaffhausen since 1831
• antique and modern maps
• etchings and pictures of the Canton of Schaffhausen
• documents and papers of guilds, scientific and artistic societies, political parties, and individuals
• a 25 000-volume reference library on the history of the Canton of Schaffhausen

For legal and historical reasons the State Archives collect, secure and preserve the historical analogous and digital documents of the public administration from the past and the present days. The oldest originally existing document is the charter of the imperial immediacy of Schwyz, given by Emperor Frederick II. in the year 1240; the Federal Charter of 1291 is another document of national importance, which is displayed at the Museum of the Swiss Charters of Confederation (known as Bundesbriefmuseum). Trough continued documentation of official files, state action is made comprehensible and enables scientific research. The legal basis for this is the archive law of 18 November 2015. A valuable addition to the official files is the various collections of non-governmental origin, which have a relation to the canton Schwyz (family archives, company archives, association archives, personal bequests etc.). To complement this further, there are extensive documents on personal and family research. The archives collections are supplemented by the graphic and pictures. One of the more important collections is of the cantonal newspaper.
The state archives support the cantonal administration as well as the municipalities and districts in file management and archiving, and advise institutions and private individuals on questions of research and archive use.

The St. Gallen State Archive has safeguarded the written records of the cantonal authorities, the cantonal administration and state institutions since the canton was founded in 1803.

It also contains records from the legal predecessors of today’s canton. These consist mainly of archival documents from the canton of Säntis, some records from the canton of Linth and archival records from some of the so-called “common lordships” that existed in the area covered by today’s canton prior to 1798. Some of the documents of these lordships date back to the late Middle Ages.

The State Archive supplements the cantonal sources by taking on archival material of importance for cantonal history from communal or, more frequently, private sources. This could include historical archives from cities, families, companies, associations or parties. The State Archive also contains various collections, such as an extensive photo and film collection. Due to its border location on Lake Constance and the Alpine Rhine, the archival records of the State Archive also provide insights into cross-border topics.

The catalogued written records of the St. Gallen State Archive comprise 10 to 12 kilometres of paper in 2023 and are accessible to government agencies, research institutes and private individuals. A state-of-the-art research option in the form of the digital reading room (Digitale Lesesaal or DLS) was recently introduced, which also offers access to the rapidly growing body of digital archives (2023: 26 TB).

The State Archives of Thurgau represent the richest collection of information about the history and contemporary time of the Canton Thurgau. His archives go back from 2010 to the year 1125. His reference library shows a nearly complete collection of all literature ever published over the Canton Thurgau.

The State Archives of the Canton of Uri collect, index and store the archival documents of the canton and ensure their preservation. It is the repository of all state archival holdings worthy of preservation and makes them available to the public in the reading room and via the website.

Holdings
The state archives keep the archival records of the old country of Uri (until 1798), the Uri part of the records of the Helvetic canton Waldstätte (1798-1803) as well as the records of the Uri state administration and the cantonal courts from 1803 to the present.

In addition to the archival material of state provenance, the state archives house numerous important private archives as well as the cantonal collection of art and cultural assets. An extensive picture collection as well as the film and sound carrier collection complete the written records.

• 1,500 linear metres of files
• Official printed documents of the canton of Uri
• 200 historical charters
• 600,000 photographs and photo negatives
• 1'400 film and sound carriers
• 2'600 units of the cantonal art and cultural heritage collection

The archival library manages the cantonal library of Uri on behalf of the state archives. An extensive Uraniensia collection is also maintained. The holdings can be searched via the website of the cantonal library. https://www.kbu.ch/

The State Archives of Canton Valais fulfill an administrative, historical and cultural mission, since they are in charge of the collect, classification, description, preservation, accessibility and development of records that belong to the state, that are produced by the cantonal administration, as well as all the documents concerning the history of Valais and its society. Within the institution, the archivists process archives entrusted to them, conserve them and make them accessible to the public for all types of researches. The archivists also intervene with the state services, the municipal authorities, but also with private organisations or persons, to advise them on the management of their documents and their archives.

The State Archives Canton of Vaud are the repository of the archives of the executive, legislative and judicial authorities of Vaud and bodies exercising state functions according to the Archives Act of 14 June 2011. They advise and mentor archiving in the communes, while striving to be the central repository of historical and current inventories, which they have most often also edited (see the two databases Panorama 1 and Panorama 2).

Over 1,900 private fonds are preserved to this day. All fonds are reported in the database DAVEL, with a coverage rate of individual inventories of 98% of the funds retained.

The first original document dates from 970.

Founded in 1898, the Vorarlberg State Archives in Bregenz is the public archive of the state administration of the Land Vorarlberg. Its purpose is to preserve and provide access to information. The preservation of archival holdings is intended to ensure the traceability of state and state-related activities and an authentic record of the history of the Land Vorarlberg.

The State Archives assists the offices of the state administration with record keeping and file management, and it acquires records that have been appraised as archival material.

The core of the archives is formed by the records of the state, starting with the "Landstände" in the 16th century. In addition, the State Archives also store archival material from municipalities, monasteries, parishes, former state and current federal offices, totaling approximately 20,000 linear metres. The oldest document dates back to 1139.

Once all access restrictions have expired, every person has a legal right to access the archives. The State Archives digitises and publishes records online. Use is free of charge.

The State Archives in Zug are the central archives of the cantonal authorities, administrative bodies and private third parties carrying out public tasks on behalf of the canton. The archive law of 29 January 2004 forms the legal basis for the State Archives’ activities.
The State Archives take over, secure and develop the sustainably historical documents. They guarantee the demographic plausibility of State trade and secure authentic source material as a long-term memory.

The files of the State Archives, which contain certificates, books, deeds, plans, photographs, etc., form the most important database for the history of the Canton of Zug. The main files comprise the archives of the old City of Zug since the 14th century to 1798, the Archives of the Helvetian Canton of Waldstätten (1798–1803) and the archives of the cantonal authorities and official bodies as well as the independent cantonal institutions from 1803 to the present day. In addition to the State documents, the State Archives also hold private archives that are important for the history of the Canton of Zug.

The State Archives make their files available in the reading room in accordance with legal provisions on public accessibility. There is also an extensive historical specialist library.

The State Archives are the final archives of the parliament, the government, the cantonal central and county administration as well as the courts and institutions of the canton of Zurich. They collect, describe and conserve documents worthy of perpetual preservation. (In addition,) As historical archives the State Archives have preserved the City State of Zurich’s administrative records since mediaeval times. These holdings are supplemented by documents of private origin (e.g. firms, associations, guilds, families and individuals).

The preservation of these documents helps comprehend administrative activities, and also serves historical research and cultural interest in the broadest sense.

Where legally admissible, the State Archives of Zurich permit access to their holdings to interested persons. In addition, there is a public reference library focusing on “the history of the canton of Zurich” and “Archive Studies”. Moreover, the State Archives of Zurich supervise and advise the canton’s communities on questions of archiving.

The State Archives of Zurich are part of the cantonal administration and are subordinate to the Department of Justice and Home Affairs.

La Chaux-de-Fonds City Archives' (AVCF) mission is to collect, classify, conserve and communicate records produced or received by the City and intended for preservation without time limit, mainly because of their historical interest. They also help to ensure the protection of the interests of the City and its citizens, as well as the transparency and traceability of public activities

As a general rule, the City Archives deals with public archives exclusively, which are transferred to it by communal and paracommunal entities in accordance with the Cantonal Archiving Act (LArch) of 22 February 2011. The City Archives do not collect private archives. Another patrimonial institution, the City Library, takes care of such fonds within its collections.

Main archives fonds held:

• Ancient archives: archives of the former commune (1656-1851/1888)
• Modern archives: archives of the Municipality of La Chaux-de-fonds (1851-1888) and archives of the former Municipality then Commune of Les Eplatures (1851-1900)
• Contemporary archives: archive fonds of the modern Commune and it's various services (since 1888)

The Archives of the City of Neuchâtel (AVN) are responsible for collecting, preserving and making available the archives of the City of Neuchâtel. In this way, they contribute to the creation of a collective memory, to the legal security of the municipality and to the traceability of public activities.
In addition to the public archives dating back to 1214, many private archive collections (companies, associations, families, personalities, etc.) are available to the public, researchers and the administration, such as the Suchard-Tobler company collection.
The AVN has been organised as an office since 1976. It holds the archives of all the municipalities that have merged: Neuchâtel, La Coudre (merged in 1930), Corcelles-Cormondrèche, Peseux and Valangin (merged in 2021).
Since 2003, the AVN has been housed in the Galeries de l'histoire, where it has a large exhibition area open to the public.

The City Archives of Schaffhausen are the central archive of the municipal administration. The City Archives are responsible for safeguarding authentic, legal, political, economical, social, historical or culturally relevant documents.

The inventory covers the period from the Middle Ages to the present day.

The Documents of the city administration and of courts are building the main emphasis quantitatively. The Archives also hold private source material (from individuals, companies, societies and political parties) and collections of photographs, maps, plans and newspapers. In 2014 there are approximately 3'000 shelf metres of files in the City Archives.

We work for eternity: The City Archives of Zug permanently store those documents which are of legal, social, economic, cultural or historical relevance for the city of Zug in the future. In this way, we maintain the long-term memory of the city of Zug and its inhabitants.

In our online directory you will find holdings from several institutions: Those from the Zug City Archives, those from the Zug Collection and Documentation (part of the Zug Library) and those from the Catholic Parish of Zug.

The Zurich City Archives are primarily the municipal archives since 1798 and the 19 incorporated villages that are now part of the City of Zurich. Like the municipal archives, various other holdings go back to the pre-Helvetic period, especially with regard to municipal properties, such as the Fraumünsteramt, the Sihlwald or the beneficiary St. Jakob an der Sihl. Also accessible are the Zurich citizens' registers since the late Middle Ages and the parish registers since the Reformation. The main archival focus is on the records of the city authorities and the entire city administration from the past 200 years. The «Special Archives» department with around 600 holdings from various private sources is of outstanding importance as well. An extensive library supplements the archive holdings (reference library with a focus on Turicensia).

The Municipal Archives of the canton of Zurich serve as the archives for the municipal agencies and administration in the canton. The Municipal Archives are responsible for the acquisition, appraisal, cataloguing and conservation of historical records relating to the history of the respective municipality with the goal of making them accessible to the public. The archive holdings document the decisions and actions of the municipal authorities and administration in an organized manner, ensuring their authenticity and comprehensibility for the future.

By law, the Municipal Archives of the Canton of Zurich are open to the public. Interested parties can access records upon request. Archives Online allows you to search the inventory data of the following Zurich Municipal Archives:

• Dürnten Municipal Archive
• Lindau Municipal Archive
• Opfikon Municipal Archive

The Association for the conservation of the Archives de la vie ordinaire (AVO) aims to give a voice to ‘ordinary’ men and women, who have been and still are the seemingly insignificant architects of history, through the accounts they have left us of their daily lives. Its mission is to safeguard, conserve, classify and promote the written documents (letters, diaries, travel accounts, etc.) that represent the story of this history.

History
The AVO was founded in February 2003 on the initiative of Jacqueline Rossier, former curator of Valangin Castle and Museum, and historian Jean-Pierre Jelmini.

Preserved and classified in suitable premises, the documents are building up a remarkable scientific collection. The collection is growing steadily thanks to an active policy of information and collection, carried out by the AVO with the public and those who come into possession of documents of this type, through inheritance or succession, and also through donations made during the lifetime of witnesses.

The collections are made available to researchers in the BPUN reading room.

In 2021, the AVO was recognised by the Conseil d’Etat as a center of expertise for the preservation of ordinary witnesses to the history of Neuchâtel.

As well as building up the archives, the AVO's activities also include organising symposia, taking part in exhibitions in collaboration with museums, supporting the publication of works and promoting the interest of the collections through public readings throughout the canton (in particular on the occasion of the institution's 20th anniversary in 2023).

The Archives of Contemporary History of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich (ETH Zurich) collects written and audio-visual documents of private origin on Swiss History from the late 19th century to the present. Furthermore, it makes these historical sources available to the public.

With its commitment to safeguarding and preserving Swiss cultural assets, it performs a task of national importance in accordance with the strategic orientation of the ETH Zurich. As a so called specialised archive, it complements the federal archival appraisal.

The Archives of Contemporary History (AfZ) preserves and indexes mainly personal papers of individuals and archives of private organisations concerning the three thematic areas politics, economy, and Swiss Jewish history. With its services, it enhances teaching and research on Swiss contemporary history in international context.

Preliminary and posthumous bequests of Swiss landscape architects such as Evariste Mertens, Willi Neukom, Ernst Cramer as well as the German garden architect Leberecht Migge, founded 1982.

The Burgerbibliothek Bern is a cultural institute of the Burgergemeinde Berne, a Civic Community. The Burgerbibliothek in its current state was established in 1951 when the town and university library was transformed into a foundation.

Today the Burgerbibliothek is open to the public. In its scientific archives numerous important and internationally renowned manuscripts, records and photographic files are stocked and conserved.

Among the best known collections are those of the medieval manuscripts, the Bongarsiana-Codices, documents concerning Swiss and Bernese history as well as bequests of important people such as Albrecht von Haller or Jeremias Gotthelf. The Burgerbibliothek also acts in an archival capacity for the Burgergemeinde (Civic Community), the guilds and the Burger’s societies.

Its collection is accessible in a reading room and conveyed through publications.

The ETH Zurich University Archives are responsible for safeguarding, indexing and communicating documents of ETH Zurich (founded in 1855) and the ETH Board. It also curates private papers of scientists and societies with ties to ETH Zurich. Its holdings promote research on national and international academic, university and technical history. Biographical and other documentation round off the archival holdings.

History
The ETH Zurich University Archives were founded based on the Swiss Federal Act on Archiving (BGA) of 1998. Archival holdings from private personal papers, but also from the ETH Zurich administration which had already been handed over in recent decades, were integrated in the University Archives.

The Archives of the former Prince-Bishopric of Basel Foundation is managed and financed by the Cantons of Bern, Jura, Basel-Landschaft and Basel-Stadt. Its role consists in conserving, communicating and promoting the following records linked to the former Diocese and Principality of Basel (maps):

• documents produced by the various administrations or judicial bodies of the Basel Prince-Bishops on spiritual (Diocese, section A) as well as on temporal (Bishopric, section B) levels;
• archives of the religious institutions abolished upon annexation to France during the Revolution (chapters of Moutier-Grandval and St. Ursanne, monasteries of Bellelay and Lucelle, etc.);
• documents of the French administration (1793-1813): department of Mont-Terrible, “arrondissements” of Delémont and Porrentruy within the department of Haut-Rhin; judiciary; civil registry;
• records of the Principality of Porrentruy: regencies Andlau and Escher (1814-1815);
• exceptional donations and entries (private records).

Everyone can consult the documents free of charge in the reading room. An archivist helps researchers find the material they need. They also have access to a large working library which is available for consultation on the premises.

Great emphasis is placed on scientific research and mediation: archivists write scientific articles and deliver lectures; they also organise symposiums, participate in exhibitions, welcome groups and school classes, etc.

Some figures:

• approximately 1,300 linear metres of archives;
• 3,500 charters;
• oldest document dates back to 878.

The Fotobüro, founded in 1999, has been run by the non-profit association "Fotobüro Bern" since 2010. The institution is concerned with documenting, securing, processing and communicating the fonds, contents and themes of Swiss photography since the beginnings of the medium. Since 2004, the Fotobüro has been working on the nationwide indexing of photographers, photographic fonds, exhibitions and literature. In 2009, the online reference work fotoBE, which has been available since 2004, was transformed into fotoCH (en.foto-ch.ch), which covers the whole of Switzerland and the Principality of Liechtenstein and has also included an image portal since 2017.

The Fotobüro employs photo historians, scholars from other disciplines, as well as interns with various professional goals and backgrounds, community service workers and support staff, as well as specialists from the fields of information technology, graphics or exhibition design who are brought in on a selective basis.

The Fotobüro office has a small photographic collection and, in addition to a photo library, maintains physical and electronic documentation on the history of Swiss photography, which can be used on request.

The Gosteli Foundation was founded in 1982 and preserves the archives of most women's associations as well as those of important women in contemporary history. The archive holdings are completed by a specialised library and audiovisual and documentary collections.

The Max Frisch Archive is an independent research institution belonging to the Max Frisch Foundation and based at ETH Library in Zurich. It curates and adds to the literary legacy of Swiss author and ETH Zurich alumnus Max Frisch. The extensive sub-holdings are available for academic, journalistic and artistic research.

History
Together with Siegfried Unseld, Peter Bichsel, Adolf Muschg and Peter von Matt, Max Frisch decided to set up a Max Frisch Foundation in 1979. According to the foundation’s deed, its main duties included "the creation of a Max Frisch Archive to be located in Switzerland as a place of research". Since the author’s death in 1991, the Foundation has been responsible for "administering his literary legacy with all the rights and responsibilities" associated with its dissemination and utilisation.

The Swiss Society for Folk Studies has been on the go since 1896.
And been collecting photographs since the 1930s.
As from 2018 the photographs are accessible online!
250,000 photographic objects, 30 collections, 150 years of photographic history!
From Sumiswald to Sumatra, from ambrotypes to polyester film, from artisanal to industrial production, from rural peasants to urban citizens: the photo archive of the Swiss Society for Folk Studies covers them all and offers many a hidden treasure.
The amateur and professional photographs are from all language regions in Switzerland and countries across Europe, America, Asia, Africa, and Oceania.

In a photo project initiated by the Swiss Society for Folk Studies in 2014, one hundred thousand photographic objects from sixteen collections have been processed. Under the direction of Prof. Dr. Walter Leimgruber and in close collaboration with the Digital Humanities Lab of the University of Basel and the restoration studio Anklin & Assen, the objects were conserved, restored, digitized, and documented in a database.

The Swiss Social Archives are the first port of call in Switzerland for all those researching the social question and the social movements. The Social Archives collect documents of all types – from manuscripts through to digital photographs – and make them available to the public while preserving them for future generations.

Library, archives, documentation
The Swiss Social Archives are an academic library, a historical archive and a collection of topical documentation all in one. We have documents on all the relevant social issues, and the different ideas for resolving these issues. For example: different generations living together, gender relations, migration, work, social policy, trade unions, political parties, political and social movements, communication, environment and traffic. Books are available, together with periodicals, archived items, manuscripts, posters, lapel pins, newspaper clippings, brochures and pamphlets, sound and picture documents and also electronic periodicals and digital press documentation.

Association running the Archives
The Swiss Social Archives were founded in 1906. They are run by a broad-based Association which is not affiliated to any political party.

The Archives of the Abbey of St Gall (Stiftsarchiv St.Gallen) are owned jointly by the Canton of St.Gallen and the Catholic community of the Canton, and contains the legal and administrative records of the former Abbey of St Gall from about 720 A.D. to its secularization in 1805. From the period before the year 1000 alone, there survive more than 750 parchment charters of gifts to the abbey, and nearly 100 Carolingian and Ottonian royal diplomas. For the first thousand years of Christianity, a period which generally is not well-documented, the sources in the Abbey archives are of significance not only for Eastern Switzerland and the immediate vicinity of the Abbey, but also for Zürich, Thurgau, Appenzell, Schaffhausen, Aargau, Basel, Bern, Graubünden, Schwyz, Vorarlberg, Alsace and Southern Germany. From then up until the French Revolution, the Archives carry much historical information relative to a great part of the present-day Canton of St. Gall, and to neighbouring regions. To a large extent it plays the role of a State Archives for this period.

The Stiftsarchiv St.Gallen also houses and administers the archives and library (with some fourty codices, in part from the 9th century) of the Abbey of Pfäfers (Fabaria) which was founded about 750 A.D. and was secularized in 1838.

The main tasks of the Archives are to preserve this great deposit for posterity, to help historians in their researches, to see to the publications of its holdings, and to answer any inquiries. In his exhibition space in the St Gall Abbey district, the Stiftsarchiv communicates its holdings and the importance of archives in a museal context.

ETH Zurich’s Thomas Mann Archives safeguard and maintain Thomas Mann’s literary legacy, which they have been mediating for academic research and the interested public since their foundation in 1956.

The holdings of the Thomas Mann Archives initially comprised manuscripts and documents that Thomas Mann had passed on personally, not to mention the study he had bequeathed, complete with his personal library and belongings. Additions are constantly made to his personal collection. As a research centre, the Thomas Mann Archives also have a comprehensive and up-to-date library of secondary literature on the life, work and impact of Thomas Mann.

The UZH Archives (UAZ) is the central archives for the University of Zurich.

As a public university archives, the UZH Archives collects, assesses, preserves and provides analogue and digital access to documentary materials of heritage value relating to all academic institutions. These materials are supplemented by records of private origin, such as those from collections, archival associations as well as official university “gazettes” (information booklets, guidelines, course catalogues, and the like).

Until its autonomous establishment under public law in September 1998, the University of Zurich - founded in 1833 - was part of the cantonal administration, and therefore belonged under the archival jurisdiction of the State Archives of the Canton of Zurich. The latter houses an extensive number of older documents, also including archival material of the “University of Zurich Student Body”, which was dissolved in 1978.

Having developed from being a repository of the Registrar’s Office, access to the archives remained limited for a long time. In 1985 the UZH created an archivist position for the first time. In 1998 the archives gained the status of an organizational unit. The dissolution of the University Historical Documentation Centre (DUG) established in 1972, led to the integration of a range of archival materials, including the DUG’s documentation collection. As such, the UZH Archives’ collections date back to the 19th century and record the university’s research, teachings and architectural history.

The library is a City institution founded in 1838. It has a dual vocation: public reading (including youth reading) and cultural heritage with the Audiovisual Department (DAV), the Private Archives (APR) and the Neuchâtel Prints (IMN).

The Private Archives sector (known as Fonds Spéciaux - FSP until 2022) holds around 150 fonds of private origin. The APR collections consist mainly of written texts, photographs and books. They consist of collections from individuals, associations and businesses. These documents were produced in connection with a wide variety of activities: architecture, fine arts, literature, teaching, travel, politics, professional associations, sport, festivals, etc. Among the most emblematic are the fonds of Le Corbusier, Charles L'Eplattenier, Albert Béguin, Jules Jacot-Guillarmod, Service civil international (SCI) and Centre de documentation et d'étude sur la langue internationale (CDELI). These collections are described in the Portal to the Neuchâtel Archives.

The library is a City institution founded in 1838. It has a dual vocation: public reading (including youth reading) and cultural heritage with the Audiovisual Department (DAV), the Private Archives (APR) and the Neuchâtel Prints (IMN).

The DAV was given a cantonal mandate in 1983 to collect, preserve and make accessible the audiovisual heritage of the canton of Neuchâtel. It manages moving images in all film formats (8, Super 8, 9.5, 16 and 35 mm), video tapes, sound documents on magnetic tapes, audio cassettes, records (78, 33 and 45 t), CDs and DATs (Digital Audio Tape) as well as photographs (negatives, prints and slides). The latter are cataloged in RERO ILS, while sound and moving images are cataloged in the portal of the Neuchâtel Archives. The DAV's collections include commissioned films (advertising and production films made for the watch industry or for internationally renowned companies such as Suchard or Dubied), as well as amateur films, the Club 44 lecture collection and recordings attributable to the activities of sound hunters.

The Neuchâtel Public Library (BPUN) is a multifaceted institution that serves as a study and research library, an information and general culture library, and a heritage library. The library was established in 1788 in accordance with the principles of the Enlightenment. The institution has been a private-law foundation since 1983, with funding provided by both the City of Neuchâtel and the Canton of Neuchâtel. The library's contemporary collections comprise Neocomensia and encyclopaedic materials, with a pronounced emphasis on the humanities. The library houses a number of special collections, including the manuscripts of Jean-Jacques Rousseau, which have been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and those of the Société typographique de Neuchâtel (STN). The BPUN is a member of the Réseau des bibliothèques neuchâteloises et jurassiennes (RBNJ) and the RERO ILS, a network of 59 libraries in the cantons of Neuchâtel, Jura, Valais and Fribourg (Bulle).

The Private Archives and Manuscripts Service has been established with the objective of collecting, preserving and promoting the archives and manuscripts of individuals, associations and businesses with links to Neuchâtel and the surrounding area. The service is responsible for the management of over 220 fonds, which encompass a diverse array of disciplines, including literature, the fine arts, music, science, and theatre. Additionally, the service oversees a collection of isolated manuscripts. The period under consideration spans from the 9th to the 21st century.

While the archives of Jean-Jacques Rousseau and those of the Société typographique are the Library's most celebrated holdings, there are numerous other noteworthy documents worthy of examination. The archives include the work of numerous notable figures, such as Denis de Rougemont, Isabelle de Charrière, Léopold Robert, Pierre Chappuis, Monique Laedrach, and Cilette Ofaire. While the majority of collections are accessible for consultation without restriction, some require permission from the original depositors. Should any interested parties wish to enquire further, they are kindly requested to contact the department directly at least five days in advance.

The «Pestalozzianum Research Library» is in charge of the Pestalozzianum Foundation’s historical-educational collections. The Pestalozzianum Foundation emerged from the Permanent School Exhibition in 1875 and collected school books and teaching materials from the very beginning. Thus, the library and media centre for teachers grew over the years, along with an archive of sources on educational history and a «Pestalozzi parlour», in which Pestalozzi’s life and work were documented.

Today, the collection of the Pestalozzianum Research Library is subdivided into three sections:

• The library, specializing in the history of education
• The archive, holding sources from educational history
• The picture collections, holding visual teaching aids such as school wall charts and glass slides, as well as 20th century drawings by children and adolescents.

Established in 1895, the Swiss National Library is now one of the largest libraries in the country. A modern, service-oriented centre of competence, it is a popular meeting point for researchers and students. It is home to the world’s largest collection of publications on Switzerland. It also houses important archive holdings, in the form of the Prints and Drawings Department and the Swiss Literary Archives.

The Prints and Drawings Department comprises an extensive collection of prints, portrait and landscape photography, picture postcards, posters, artist books, portfolios, editions, works by the “Schweizer Kleinmeister” (Gugelmann Collection) as well as the Federal Archives of Historic Monuments. It also acquires the archives of individual artists, such as Daniel Spoerri and Karl Gerstner.

The Swiss Literary Archives hold the literary estates and archives of writers and scholars from all of Switzerland's language regions, as well as foreign authors with ties to Switzerland. Famous names include Friedrich Dürrenmatt, Blaise Cendrars, Patricia Highsmith, Giovanni Orelli, Andri Peer and Robert Walser (this last as a deposit from the Robert Walser Foundation).

The Network HAN makes countless private archives accessible as well as medieval and modern manuscripts, letters, handwritten and printed music, pictures and much more objects, and uncover them for a broad audience. The Network was established in 2011 and unites archives and special collections of libraries in one catalogue. Since then HAN is in stable growth. More information about the catalogued stocks or the partners of HAN shows the website of the network.

Not all member of the network are visible in Archives Online. You can find all accessible stocks of the Canton Library Appenzell Ausser Rhoden, the University library Basel, the Swiss Archives of Economics, the Archives on the history of women in Switzerland, the University library Bern (with the Rorschach archives and collection, the Swiss library for Eastern Europe and the Center for historical stocks), the Central and university library Lucerne, the Canton library St Gallen and the Central library Solothurn.

The Zentralbibliothek Zürich (ZB) has functioned officially as the main library for the Canton, the city and the University of Zürich for over one hundred years. One of the largest libraries in Switzerland, it holds 6.6 million items (books, periodicals, manuscripts, microforms, audio resources etc.) and employs over 200 staff. It also provides access to a vast array of databases as well as to over 25,000 electronic full texts.. Half a million people visit the ZB annually to consult these wide-ranging collections.

The six departments in the ZB responsible for Special and Rare Materials – Archives and Manuscripts, Rare and Early Printed Books, Prints, Drawings and Photographs, Cartographic Material, Music and Turicensia – are committed to preserving and promoting the cultural heritage of the city and Canton of Zürich. The material from the predecessor libraries is particularly significant, especially the holdings of the former Stadtbibliothek founded in 1629 and those of the Kantonsbibliothek which emerged in 1835 when the library of the Chorherrenstift (canon monastery) at the Grossmünster Church was dissloved. In addition to safeguarding these historical collections, the ZB is also now home to over 800 bequests and estates and about 180 separate archives which previously belonged to families or corporate bodies (publishing houses, societies, guilds). Especially noteworthy are those of theologians and scholars such as Heinrich Bullinger, Johann Jakob Bodmer, Johann Caspar Lavater, Albert Schweitzer and Jeanne Hersch or those of writers and artists such as Gottfried Keller, C. F. Meyer, Elias Canetti, Oskar Kokoschka and Johannes Itten or of composers such as Hans Georg Nägeli, Othmar Schoeck, Heinrich Sutermeister or Wilhelm Furtwängler. These special collections include moreover 1.1 million paintings, prints, drawings and photographs, some 325'000 maps and 220,000 music resources.