Národní archiv v Praze / National Archives in Prague

Author(s): Maren Hachmeister (2017),
Arnošt Štanzel (2018) – last update: 2018-09-28.

The Národní archiv v Praze / National Archives in Prague is the central archive of the Czech Republic. It is concerned, in particular, with valuable documents dating back to the Early Middle Ages that have been created in the framework of the activities of state, municipal and municipal authorities and their historical predecessors (religious writings, matrices, etc.). The archive is managed by the Ministry of the Interior.

Contact

Main Office
Národní Archiv v Praze
Archivní 4/2257
149 00 Praha 4

Archival information: tel. +420 974 847 247
e-mail: na@nacr.cz or badatelna@nacr.cz (reading room)
Office hours: Mondays and Wednesdays 9:00-18:00, Tuesdays and Thursdays 9:00-16:00, Fridays 9:00-12:00 (however, the research room is closed every last Friday in month)

Website

http://www.nacr.cz

How to find the Archive sites

Maps & location sketches

How to plan and to prepare a visit

Everyone interested in studying the archives material has to check the Guide to the Archives or in the Inventory of Fonds for the archival fonds that may be relevant according to the studied topic. If needed, a member of staff will give you advice or may ask a custodian of the collection for consultation.

Registration

You will have to register in person at the reading rooms. A form asks for your personal data and key information about your research project.

Reading Rooms

Central reading room – most modern fonds and collections (after 1848):
Nrodní Archiv v Praze
Archivní 4/2257
149 00 Praha 4
Archival information: tel. +420 974 847 247
e-mail: badatelna@nacr.cz (reading room)
Office hours: Mondays and Wednesdays 9:00-18:00, Tuesdays and Thursdays 9:00-16:00, Fridays 9:00-12:00 (however, the research room is closed every last Friday in month)

Department I – archival fonds of political, financial, judicial and church administration, land self–government from the period of feudalism and the Bohemian Kingdom from the 12th century to the mid 19th century:
Nrodní Archiv v Praze
Milady Horákové 133
166 21 Praha 6
Archival information: tel. +420 233 326 755
e-mail: badatelna@nacr.cz (reading room)
Office hours: Mondays and Wednesdays 9:00-18:00, Tuesdays and Thursdays 9:00-16:00, Fridays 9:00-12:00 (however, the research room is closed every last Friday in month)

Reading Room rules and regulations

  • The general rules and regulations for working at the National Archives are documented on the website (.pdf). Other relevant user information, forms as well as a list of services and copying fees are also accessible online.
  • Entering the archives sites, you will have to register at the reception desk where you will receive a key for the lockers and a name badge.
  • Before entering the reading room, visitors are asked to leave their coat, bags, etc. in the cloakroom. Every visitor is allowed to take a laptop (without bag), a camera (without bag), pencils (but NO pens!) and a notebook into the reading room.
  • On the first visit, you are required to show the passport/identity card in the reading room.
  • Please, sign the visiting list every time you enter a reading room.
  • To order archival material, please fill in a search sheet (.pdf) – information how to do it can be given by a person in charge of the reading room. After that, the requested archival material is prepared in the research room; the preparation requires time (depending on the material between several days and some weeks) due to the range and placement of archival documents.
  • Researchers studying archival records are obliged to use clean, white cotton gloves (available in the reading rooms).
  • Taking photos without flash light is permitted when you complete a respective form. Be, however, aware of the copyright regulations.
  • In accordance with the valid rules you can obtain reproductions of the archival material, it is a paid service.

Archive databases & Online finding aids

The National Archives presents a description of archival fonds and collections on the web portal badatelna.eu.

Archival finding aids are listed – in Czech language – on the website.

Practical advice

  • Many countries do not require a visa for entry into Czech Republic, permitted to stay up to 90 days. (Click here to see the list of coutnries with visa-free access.) If you require advice on how to attain a visa into Czech Republic, please visit the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic page, which lists the general entry requirements.
  • There are two research rooms in the National Archives, equipped with a thematic reference library, where you can find dictionaries, encyclopaedias, bibligraphies, lists of monuments, annuals, collections of laws from 1850 to present, key works of Czechoslovak and general history, fundamental editions of sources to the Czech history and professional Czech archival journals.
  • Please, be aware that the staff does usually speak Czech. Some archivists are also fluent in English or German though.
  • There is a public cafeteria for lunch, snacks and cold and hot beverages on-site at the main archive site.
  • There are power sockets in the reading rooms. Free WiFi is also available.
  • Nearest bus station to the Main Office and the Central reading room is “Chodovec” operated by lines 115, 125, 136, 170, 213 and 293. We recommend that you to go to Metro station “Opatov” and, next, use the bus 136 or 213 to station “Chodovec.” For planning the journey by Prague public transportation, you can use a web portal. It will take approx. 30-40 minutes to get there from the city centre.
  • The archives site of Department I is accessible by Metro line A (station “Hradčanská”) or by tram number 1, 5, 8, 18, 20, 25 and 26 (station “Hradčanská”). For planning the journey by Prague public transportation, you can to use a web portal.
  • It takes normally a day to hand out archival materials to researchers, as they have to be brought from the depots.
  • If you know the signatures of the archival materials, you can order these by sending an email to the National Archive.

Citation Suggestion

Hachmeister, Maren and Arnošt Štanzel: Národní archiv v Praze / National Archives in Prague, in: ESE Archives Guide: A Web Guide to East and Southeast European Archives, 2017 (updated 2018-09-28), http://www.ese-archives.geschichte.uni-muenchen.de/?p=617
The original article was written by Maren Hachmeister in 2017 and was amended by Arnošt Štanzel in 2018.

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