The Collection

  1. Databases accessible for visitors:

To survey specific archives in databases, use the following numerals:

  • 12 - for the State Archives in Katowice Head Office,
  • 13 - for Bielsko-Biała Branch,
  • 14 - for Cieszyn Branch,
  • 15 - for Gliwice Branch,
  • 16 - for Oświecim Branch,
  • 17 - for Pszczyna Branch,
  • 18 - for Racibórz Branch,
  • 20 - for Żywiec Branch.


  1. The Collection

  1. Katowice

The State Archives in Katowice Head Office hold archival records, which cover the period from the fifteenth century to the modern times. The materials originated in the eastern part of Upper Silesia and in the western part of Lesser Poland, including Coalfield of Dabrowa (Zagłębie Dąbrowskie). Among documents antedating 1918, the Prussian territorial administration archives are of great importance, eg. Landratsamt in Kattowitz, in Lublinitz or in Tarnowitz. Key collections from the years 1918-1922, the years of Silesian uprisings and the plebiscite, include the Polish Plebiscite Commissariat in Bytom (Polski Komisariat Plebiscytowy), the Supreme People's Council in the Upper Silesia (Naczelna Rada Ludowa), the Silesian Seym and the Silesian Voivodeship Office (Urząd Wojewodzki Śląski). Numerous fonds deal with the period of the Second World War: Regierung Kattowitz, Oberpräsidium Kattowitz, Oberschlesien Provinzialverwaltung, Treuhandstelle Ost, Sondergericht Kattowitz and the records of NSDAP Gauleitung O/S Kattowitz along with its district subordinates. Moreover, one may find here collections concerning the period of Polish People's Republic (1945-1989); for example, the Silesian Voivodeship Office (Urząd Wojewódzki Śląski), the People's Voivodeship Council (Wojewódzka Rada Narodowa) and the Presidium of the People's Voivodeship Council (Prezydium Wojewódzkiej Rady Narodowej) w Katowicach. Valuable and noteworthy are also city records: Będzin (1549-1944), Bytom (1412-1945), Chorzów (1853-1945), Katowice (1865-1949), Mysłowice (1590-1944), Tarnowskie Góry (1528-1944), Woźniki (1483-1943) and Lubliniec (1411-1945). Family records like Princes zu Hohenlohe-Ingelfingen from Koszęcin (1609-1945), Tiele-Winckler from Miechowice (1797-1925) and Poleski from Rokitno Szlacheckie (1545-1907) stand as worthy of consideration too.

The State Archives in Katowice possess the richest collection of industrial records in Poland. Those documents embrace the records of companies, enterprises, firms and workers' societies, including the Upper Silesian Mining Office in Tarnowskie Góry (Górnośląski Urząd Górniczy), the State Coalmining Inspection in Krolewska Huta (Państwowa Inspekcja Górnicza), steelworks offices in Królewska Huta (1797-1870) and Strzybnica (1784-1922). Wealth of information provide records of Henckel von Donnersmarck's Direction General in Tarnowskie Góry (1868-1944), Giesche Aktien Gesellschaft in Katowice (1765-1945), Hohenlohe Aktien Gesellschaft in Wełnowiec (1787-1944).

After 1989, party records found their repository in the State Archives in Katowice. They are, for example, the Polish United Workers' Party (Polska Zjednoczona Partia Robotnicza), the Polish Workers' Party (Polska Partia Robotnicza), the Polish Socialist Party (Polska Partia Socjalistyczna), the United People's Party (Zjednoczone Stronnictwo Ludowe) in Katowice or Democratic Party (Stronnictwo Demokratyczne) in Katowice.

The State Archives in Katowice also boasts bountiful cartographic collection containing military, geological, demographic maps of Silesia, Europe or other parts of the world. A special attention deserves one of the largest collection of mining maps in Europe preserved in the fond Higher Mining Office (German: Oberbergamt) in Katowice (1743-1976). Furthermore, one may encounter here rich sphragistical, photographic and poster collection.

  1. Bielsko-Biała

The collection of the Branch Office in Bielsko-Biala covers the period from the 16th century to the present. The oldest and most precious are the following: city records of Bielsko (1587-1945), city records of Biała (1778-1939), commune records of Bielsko district (1562-1950) and parchment documents of Bielsko and Biała. Unique character present the family archives of the princes Sulkowski.

Development of weaving and metal industry in the 19th century resulted in formation of quite a few archives of factories functioning in the Bielsko area. These materials illustrate the genesis and growth of industry that made Bielsko famous for many years.

The Branch Office stores also papers of the District Office in Bielsko from the 19th century, which show the history of the city, along with the records of those offices from the years 1918-1939. Among materials created after 1945 worthy of mentioning are holdings of the Bielsko-Biała Voivodship Office (1975-1998), the District Office, the District People's Council and municipal authorities in Bielsko and Biała.

  1. Cieszyn

Holdings of the Branch Office in Cieszyn consist of materials dating back to the 14th century and comprise, to name a few, papers of Cieszyn dukes, archives of territorial administration, judicature, guilds, schools, credit unions, enterprises and cooperatives, societies and unions, companies and personal papers.

Most valuable documents stored in the archives are 270 parchments with wax seals from 1388 on, which concern the Duchy of Cieszyn, along with the records of the Cieszyn Chamber (Komora Cieszyńska) (1438-1920). Among the oldest materials one must mention the city records of Cieszyn (1519-1944) or of Strumień (1503-1793). Moreover, important part of the collection constitute records of the District Office in Cieszyn (K.K. Bezirkshauptmannschaft Teschen) (1850-1918) and also the 19th century school records. The Branch Office preserved the records of the first Polish authorities after gaining independence in 1918. They are indispensable in investigating the activities of the National Council of the Duchy of Cieszyn (Rada Narodowa Księstwa Cieszyńskiego), the Land Government of the Duchy of Cieszyn (Rząd Krajowy Księstwa Cieszyńskiego) and the School Commision of the Duchy of Cieszyn. Few holdings lived through the years of the German occupation with the exception of the archives of the District Office (Der Landrat des Kreises Teschen), of the Public Prosecutor's Office (Staatsanwaltschaft beim Landgericth Teschen) and of the Jailhouse in Teschen. Post-WW II files include collection of the District Office and the District People's Council from the years 1945-1950 along with the papers of the former presidiums of communal people's councils of the Cieszyn district.

Beside the aforementioned fonds, one cannot omit the papers of the communes in the Cieszyn district, which provide abundant data on conditions in several towns from medieval to modern times. A special note deserve also the collection of cadaster books of the Duchy of Cieszyn (1741-1922) along with the archives of several notary offices from the area.

Historians will find as equally important the collections of Cieszyn guilds and personal papers of Barbara Poloczkowa, Wiktor Karger and Emanuel Guziur, who played a key role in the history of the Branch Office and of the Cieszyn region.

  1. Gliwice

Although the collection of the Branch Office in Gliwice contains numerous city records (Gliwice and Zabrze) and records of district administration, the majority of the holdings constitute records of companies and factories like Graf von Ballestrem'sche Gütterdirektion, Oberhütten, Herman Goering and many others. As equally essential one should consider the papers of noble families: Welczko, Baildon and von Durant. Worth mentioning are also post-1945 records of territorial administration in Gliwice or Zabrze. The Archives continue acquisition of records of industrial institutions like coal mines, chemical companies, factories and so forth.

The most often accessed records include, for example, city records, cartographic collection and collection of photographs. Furthermore, the Branch Office boasts an impressive library available for the Reading Room users.

  1. Oświęcim

The collection of the Branch Office in Oświęcim was generated between the half of the 16th century and the present. As the most valuable one will find here undoubtedly city records of Andrychów, Kalwaria Zebrzydowska, Lanckorona, Oświęcim, Wadowice, Wilamowice and Zator (1574-1945). Moreover, the archives gathered records of the District Offices and District People's Councils in Biała Krakowska and Wadowice from the years 1945-1950.

Important information concerning rural history provide 21 fonds of the communes (1754-1954) along with several fonds of territorial administration from the period after 1954. The Archives contain also judicial documentation from the courts in Andrychow, Kalwaria Zebrzydowska, Kęty, Maków, Oświecim, Wadowice and Zator. Papers of guilds constitute 13 fonds covering the period 1595-1948 and stand out as a crucial source for the history of these institutions.

Other institutions, for example banks, factories, commercial, educational and social organizations, are also well represented by the collection of the Branch Office. As interesting one should view also large poster collection and cadaster maps from the 19th century.

  1. Pszczyna

The most valuable and complete fond in the Branch Office are the archives of Dukes of Pszczyna (1287-1945). They contain political, business and personal papers of the Pszczyna owners - Piasts (till 1336), Bohemian princes (1336-1480), Casimir II Duke of Cieszyn (1480-1517), Turzons (1517-1548), Promnitz (1548-1765), Dukes of the house of Anhalt-Coethen (1765-1846) and Hochbergs (1846-1945).

To mention other holdings, there are also city records of Pszczyna (1466-1945), Mikołów (1606-1945), Bieruń Stary (1826-1945), along with records of the District Office (since 1743), 25 communes (since 1831), Prussian school inspector, cadaster office and district surgeon.

A large group compose records of courts in Pszczyna (1849-1950) and civil registers (Catholic and Lutheran) since the end of 18th century until 1874.

Moreover, the Pszczyna archives contain records of companies, coal mines, mining inspectors, businesses and personal papers of Günther Falkenhahn, an Upper Silesian entrepreneur.

  1. Racibórz

The collection in Racibórz contains valuable city records of Racibórz (1360-1944) and of Żory (1505-1693, 1765-1950). They include, for example, parchments that concern town privileges, craft, loans and foundations. Equally important are documents in the fond the Chamber of Dukes in Racibórz (1701-1938) or the archives of guilds.

Papers of the two district offices - Landrats - in Racibórz and Rybnik supply interesting information concerning political, agricultural, religious, educational, police, judicial, military and financial issues. Similarly, documentation of courts, notaries and prosecutor's offices in the region will enrich any research into previous forms of litigation. Post-WW II records of the district offices and the district people’s councils show the establishment of the Communist regime on a local level.

The Branch Office possesses also civil registers from Racibórz, Rybnik and Żory.

  1. Żywiec

Most valuable records in the collection include records of cities, communes, territorial administration, court and industrial documentation. City records come from Żywiec (1804-1950), Maków Podhalański (1896-1950) and Jordanów (1576-1950). The archives of communes of the Żywiec district, generated between 1867 and 1954, contain materials on functioning of communal authority, as well as business activity. In the Branch Office one may also find records of the District Offices (1868-1918, 1918-1989, 1945-1950) and of the District People's Council in Żywiec.

Very interesting insights into the region's economy offers the fond Dyrekcja Dóbr Żywieckich (1758-1945), which contains unique documents of the Żywiec owners - the Archduke Karol Stefan Habsburg and his son, Karol Olbracht. Poland became the homeland of choice for them.

Other industrial records include the Coal Mining and Steel Milling Stock Company "Węgierska Górka" (1839-1945), the Archduke's Brewery in Żywiec (1881-1944), the Paper Factory "Solali" in Żywiec (1888-1943) and the Archduke's Steelworks Management in Obszar (1851-1910).

The Branch Office also features papers of guilds of the Żywiec district (1779-1951) and of financial institutions like Kasa Stefczyka (1906-1952) and Komunalna Kasa Oszczędności Miasta Żywca (1901-1951). Moreover, it contains records of several social and cultural organizations, to mention some, Polskie Towarzystwo Tatrzańskie (1905-1950) and Związek Strzelecki (1925-1937). One cannot omit valuable collections: maps and charts (the oldest map from 1846), artifact items (1508-1998) or still pictures (1808-1992).