Author(s): Arnošt Štanzel (2018) – last update: 2018-09-28
The Arhivele Naționale ale României / The National Archives of Romania hold the country’s most important documents from various periods of time.
Contact
Arhivele Naționale ale României (aparat central)
Bd. Regina Elisabeta nr. 49, sector 5,
Bucureşti, C-050013
Tel. Relații cu Publicul / Public Relations: 021 / 314 43 31, 021 / 313 92 95
Tel. Secretariat / Secretary: 021 / 312 67 04
Fax: 021/312 58 41, 021/313 18 38
Email: secretariat@arhivelenationale.ro
Website
http://arhivelenationale.ro/site/
How to find the Archive sites
The Archives are right in the center of the city. The nearest metro stations are Izvor and Universitate. Many buses also run on Bulevardul Regina Elisabeta.
How to plan and to prepare a visit
For EU-Citizens, Romania can be visited without any special permissions or visa. There are no special prerequisites for using the archive.
Registration
You can register on spot and must have your passport/ID-card and an address in Bucureşti / Bucharest ready. In the entrance hall look right and head into the registration office.
Reading Rooms
There are two reading rooms in the same building, both at the ground floor. Depending on the materials you desire, you have to go to one of these two rooms. The staff is generally very helpful and will give you advice on where to go.
Reading Room Rules and Regulations
The following website is a general introduction to the reading rooms, what they refer to as study rooms: http://arhivelenationale.ro/site/cercetare/sala-de-studiu/
And the following website specifies the rules and regulations within said study rooms: http://arhivelenationale.ro/site/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/regulamentul_salilor_de_studiu_varianta_2015.pdf
Archive Databases & Online Finding Aids
Please check out the following website: http://arhivelenationale.ro/site/cercetare/fonduri-si-colectii/
Practical Advice
- There are lockers in the National Archive. You will recieve a locker key from the staff in the reading rooms. There is no cafeteria inside the building, but there are plenty of restaurants, food stalls and supermarkets in the neighborhood. There is a nice park right across the street.
- Reading rooms are rather small, adorned with quite old furniture and do not have many sockets available.
- The staff is very helpful, but does not know foreign languages.
- The University of Bucharest is nearby.
- When choosing a convenient accommodation in Bucureşti / Bucharest, try searching around the metro lines as Bucharest traffic is heavy and buses very slow.
- Taking pictures is quite cheap at 7 lei a day. You can also pay in advance for more than 7 days, but you have to fill out a form, make the payment at a post office as well as present a receipt at the archives. There is a post office nearby on the Bd. Regina Elisabet at Piata Mihail Kogălniceanu. There you can request said form, fill it out and make the payment. Again, be sure to have some kind of fixed address in Bucureşti / Bucharest in order to complete the form and payment.