Jerusalem City Archive Jerusalem Municipal Archive

Overview

The Jerusalem City Archive (Hebrew: ארכיון עיריית ירושלים) is the official municipal archive of the Jerusalem Municipality. Established in 1963, it serves as the primary repository for documents produced by or relating to the city of Jerusalem, including municipal records and historical materials about the city and its neighborhoods.

History and Founding

The archive was established in 1963 as a unit of the Jerusalem Municipality. Its purpose is both administrative—managing the disposition of current municipal records—and historical, providing preservation, classification, and public access to materials relating to the city's past. The archive's collections span the Ottoman, British Mandate, and Israeli periods of Jerusalem's history.

Collections and Holdings

The archive holds approximately 3,500 running meters of archival material in its main building and extension, plus 7,000 running meters of records in a supervised industrial warehouse. Special collections include approximately 25,000 posters and advertisements, four complete collections of Jerusalem local newspapers, a collection of press clippings about Jerusalem from 1960 to 1998, and about 7,000 books on Jerusalem in the auxiliary reference library. The historical archive contains approximately 12,000 archive containers as well as complementary collections. Notable holdings include Ottoman-era municipal council minutes from 1892–1917 and British Mandate-period records. Records from private individuals must be at least 70 years old to be held; institutional records require 30 years.

Journalism and Media Relevance

The archive's collections of Jerusalem local newspapers, press clippings, and posters make it a significant resource for research into the history of Jerusalem's media and journalism. The Ottoman and Mandate-era municipal council minutes, some of which have been transcribed and translated through the Open Jerusalem project, provide unique documentation of urban governance and civic life.

Access

The archive is open for research. A reference library of approximately 7,000 titles is available for consultation on-site. The archive charges fees for some services. Construction licensing files from 1969 onward are held in the archives of the Construction Licensing Division. Selected materials are accessible through the Open Jerusalem digital platform.