Slovakia Archives and Libraries

Europe Slovakia  Archives and Libraries

Archives collect and preserve original documents of organizations, such as churches or governments. 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 Slovakia.

If you plan to visit one of these repositories, contact the organization and ask for information about their hours, services, and fees. When writing to an archive in Slovakia, you may write in English.

In Slovakia there are several types of genealogical repositories:


 * National Archives
 * Regional Archives
 * City Archives
 * Military Archives
 * Church Archives
 * Church Parish Offices
 * University and Public Libraries
 * Historical and Genealogical Societies

Regional Archives
In Slovakia there are seven state archives: Banská Bystrica, Bratislava, Bytča, Košice, Levoča, Nitra, and Prešov. The seven state archives are the repositories for most pre-1900 parish books and, therefore, are the archives of primary importance to Slovak genealogical researchers. In addition to early parish books, the state archives house an enormous amount of important material including early cadastral records, maps, architectural plans, historical documents, court records, administrative papers, etc. The archives maintain extensive catalogs of their holdings but, so far, these catalogs are not available online. The state archives of Slovakia are open to the public.

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