Polish State Archives
You can begin a search in Polish archives while working from home in the UK. The useful starting point is a person, a locality and a period, rather than a surname entered into every available database. This guide explains how state archives fit into your research and how to distinguish a catalogue reference, an online image and a record that still needs to be requested.
The Structure of Polish State Archives
Poland’s archival system is quite complex due to the country’s historical changes in territories and administration. The State Archives, managed by the Head Office of State Archives in Warsaw, are divided into central, regional, and local archives. These entities safeguard documents from state institutions, local government, court records, notarial deeds, and church records, among others.
How to find Vital Records in Poland
For genealogical research, vital records (birth, marriage, and death records) are the most sought after. These documents provide basic yet crucial information about ancestors. Such records typically fall under the civil registration offices (Urząd Stanu Cywilnego) with different retention periods: generally 100 years for births and 80 years for marriages and deaths before archival transfer. Check the record holder for the specific register. You can also check out our guide describing birth certificates in Poland.
Need help with your search in the Polish State Archives?
We handle more than a dozen archival cases a day in terms of searches, obtaining copies and translations. If you would like us to find archive records for you, please write using the contact form, we will get back to you with an answer within 3 days.
National Polish Archives
The Head Office of the State Archives in Warsaw, known as Naczelna Dyrekcja Archiwów Państwowych, oversees the entire network of state archives in Poland. It establishes guidelines, standards, and provides professional support to all archival units in the country. The Head Office itself does not hold any archival materials.
Are Polish national archives online for free?
Thanks to the continuous development of digital archives in Poland, we can easily access archive material for free on the website SzukajwArchiwach.
Regional Archives in Poland
There are 30 main Regional State Archives across the country. Each is responsible for the archival materials of a particular region. They safeguard documents from various sources, including state institutions, local governments, courts, churches, and private persons. Here are a few of the key regional archives:
- State Archives in Warsaw (Archiwum Państwowe w Warszawie): As the capital city, Warsaw’s archives hold a vast range of documents. It covers the entire Mazowieckie voivodeship and the city of Warsaw.
- State Archives in Krakow (Archiwum Państwowe w Krakowie): Krakow’s archives are renowned for their rich collections dating back to the Middle Ages, including documents of the Polish kings and the ancient city of Krakow.
- State Archives in Poznań (Archiwum Państwowe w Poznaniu): The archives in Poznań safeguard a large collection of documents, including those of the Greater Poland (Wielkopolska) region.
- State Archives in Wrocław (Archiwum Państwowe we Wrocławiu): In Wrocław, you can find documents not only from the Lower Silesia (Dolny Śląsk) region but also many displaced records from lands no longer within Poland’s borders.
- State Archives in Gdańsk (Archiwum Państwowe w Gdańsku): Gdańsk’s archives are particularly rich in documents related to maritime and Hanseatic history.
Turn a UK family clue into an archive request
A place name copied into a British document may need to be identified before it can be used in a Polish catalogue. Keep the original wording and make a separate note of any proposed modern place name. Then record the archive, collection and reference for each possible match.
A catalogue entry does not by itself mean that a scan is online. Save the reference and ask about access or copies. If the locality is uncertain, first use our guide to identifying a village and its parish.
Check the date and the record holder
The Polish State Archives genealogy guidance distinguishes older birth records from marriage and death records. A date threshold is a starting point for an enquiry, not a promise that every eligible register has been transferred or digitised.