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The collection of the Nationaal Archief

The Nationaal Archief is the largest public archive in the Netherlands. Almost 1000 years of Dutch history are stored here, in 93 kilometres of documents, maps, drawings and photographs. The collection is made up of archives supplied by:

the central government
the Province of Zuid-Holland and the former County of Holland.
private institutions and individuals.

To find out exactly what archives we hold, see the list of archives.

Central government archives

In this part of the collection you will find a wealth of national government documents and correspondence. They record the plans and activities which have made the Netherlands what it is today. For example, you find archives devoted to:

wars fought by the Dutch;
the evolution of the constitutional state;
economic developments in agriculture, industry and trade;
healthcare;
voyages of discovery and overseas dominions.

The collection contains a huge amount of information about people who served as diplomats, civil servants or soldiers. You can also find details of other individuals who have come into contact with the Dutch government for one reason or another: for example refugees and Asian monarchs. As well as this personal information, there is a lot of material about public works like dykes, roads, bridges and churches throughout the Netherlands.

The Province of Zuid-Holland and the former County of Holland

This encompasses the archives of:

the Counts of Holland and the States of Holland;
the regional and provincial administrative institutions of Zuid-Holland;
state bodies in the province.

The latter category includes courts, penal institutions and local civil registers in Zuid-Holland.

Private archives

The private archives held at the Nationaal Archief generally have some association with the government records. There are two main sources.

People or organisations which have played an important role in the political or social history of the Netherlands. For example, the personal archive of the 17th-century Grand Pensionary Johan de Witt is closely related to the archive of the States of Holland.
Associations and foundations. These have no direct relationship with the government records, but they do illustrate aspects of Dutch society. For example, the Nationaal Archief houses the records of the Royal Dutch Football Association (KNVB) and the Netherlands Olympic Committee (NOC*NSF).