Digitalarkivet The Digital Archives of Norway (National Archives of Norway)

History and Founding

Digitalarkivet (The Digital Archives) was created in 1998 by staff at the Regional State Archives in Bergen, initially as a platform for transcribed archival sources. The collaboration was established between the National Archives of Norway (Riksarkivet) and the Historical Institute of the University of Bergen, making it an early international pioneer in online publication of archival content. Since 2005, the service has also incorporated scanned archival materials alongside transcribed records. The editorial team responsible for the website continues to be based at the Regional State Archives in Bergen.

Collections and Holdings

Digitalarkivet serves as the National Archives of Norway's publishing platform for archival material and is free of charge and available to all. The most important searchable sources include the nationwide censuses—comprehensive lists of all inhabitants in Norway at given points in time—and transcribed parish registers recording births, christenings, marriages, and deaths from the seventeenth century onward. Scanned archives are accessible for browsing across material held by the National Archives, regional state archives, museums, and libraries. Notable additional collections include the digitised Norwegian Records of Emigrants (1867–1930), court and probate records, military records, and property registers including the old land register (Gammel Grunnbok) running to 1991. The Second World War Treason Archive is also accessible through the portal.

Notable Materials Related to Journalism and Media

Digitalarkivet provides access to census records, emigration lists, and civil register data that underpin historical journalism and genealogical research across Norway and among Norwegian diaspora communities. Meeting protocols, police and sheriff records, and departmental institution files document press regulation and civil society from the nineteenth century onwards.

Access and Usage

All searches on Digitalarkivet are free to access without registration. Users can search for individuals by name, place of residence, year of birth, and profession across multiple source types. Property searches are also available. The platform supports both transcribed, fully searchable records and scanned image browsing. Advanced search tools and a new Digital Archives interface are being progressively introduced. The service additionally supports a NOARK search for contemporary records management and links to the broader Arkivportalen archival portal.