Liechtenstein National Archives (Liechtensteinisches Landesarchiv)

Overview

The Liechtenstein National Archives (Liechtensteinisches Landesarchiv) is the central repository for all state agencies of the Principality of Liechtenstein, based in Vaduz. It also safekeeps archival material from private sources and builds its own documentation and collections, and today operates as an office within the Liechtenstein National Administration's Office of Cultural Affairs.

History

The National Archives was formed as its own office in 1961, having previously been organized within the Government Chancellery; until 2001 it was jointly managed alongside the Liechtenstein State Library. Its holdings include the archive of the former Liechtenstein Deanery and, since 1998, the Josef Gabriel Rheinberger Archive documenting the Liechtenstein composer, which was originally established in 1944 by Walter Kaufmann and Severin Brender at Rheinberger's birthplace in Vaduz. The Archives Act (LGBl. 1997 No. 215) of October 1997 defines the National Archives' statutory duties to preserve Liechtenstein's cultural heritage.

Collections, Holdings, and Publications

The National Archives administers approximately 5,000 to 7,000 running meters of archival material, according to different counts, representing a major part of Liechtenstein's cultural heritage. Holdings include government records, the House Archives of the Princes of Liechtenstein (held partly in Vaduz and partly in Vienna since Prince Hans-Adam II arranged a transfer of material completed by 1954), archives of the former Domain Administration, and Catholic parish archive material. The e-archiv.li online platform provides access to selected digitized archival material, and deeds from 1417 to 1510 are available digitally in the Liechtenstein Book of Historic Documents (LUB II).

Access and Usage

State archival records are subject to a 30-year embargo period after creation, extended to 80 years for records relating to natural persons. Family and company archives held by the National Archives are generally not accessible to the public. The National Archives' research library, offering literature on Liechtenstein's history and on information and archival science, is freely accessible in its reading room.