Nationaal Archief

The Nationaal Archief (Dutch National Archives) is the ‘national memory’ of the Netherlands. We hold 125 kilometres of documents, photos and maps both from the central government, as well as from organizations and persons of national importance (past and present).

At the National Archives is nearly a thousand years of history of Netherlands recorded at 125 kilometers archives, including maps, drawings and photographs. The archives are from:

• The central government;
• The county Holland and the regional / provincial administrations in South Holland;
• Private institutions and individuals.

The Dutch archives sees it as his task to bring together the resources and secure, making it possible for individuals, organizations and community groups to discover their history and reconstruct the history of government and society (and their interaction). This means that no distinction in principle between the acquisition of public and private archives.

The scope of the current archive legislation limited to archives formed by public bodies. The private domain is beyond the scope of archival legislation.Social reality, however, is known not only on the basis of government action.
The Dutch archives therefore expects its responsibility for the actions of the government not only but also to document the interaction between government and society.

If you want to know which records the National Archives holds exactly, please refer to the collection overview on the website gahetNA . For specific questions about the collection, please send a message toinfo@nationaalarchief.nl .

The central government

In this part of the collection everything captured decisions and correspondence of the government. These plans and activities have made the Netherlands into what it is today. You'll find such documents about:

• Warfare
• Development of the rule of law
• Economic development: agriculture, industry and commerce
• healthcare
• Discovery Travel and rule in the overseas territories

The collection contains a lot of information about people who have been in the public service, such as a diplomat, officer or soldier. Also available are data on people who came into contact in a different way with the board, such as refugees or Asian rulers. In addition to data on individuals, there is a lot of information on structures such as dikes, roads, bridges and churches throughout the Netherlands.

The province of South Holland and the former province of Holland

These include the archives:

• The Counts of Holland and the States of Holland
• The regional / provincial administrations of South Holland
• The state bodies in the province.

For example, under the latter category fall the courts, penal institutions, and also the places of civil registration in England.

private archives

The private archives in the National Archives often have a relationship with the government archives. They come from:

• Individuals or institutions that have played a significant role in the political and social history. 
  The archives of the seventeenth century pensionary Johan de Witt for example, is closely linked to the archives of the States of Holland.
• Associations and foundations 
  , they have no direct relationship with the government archives, but bring an aspect of Dutch society into the picture. For example, based archives of the Royal Dutch Football Association (KNVB) and the Dutch Olympic Committee (NOC / NSF) at the National Archives.

HOW TO REACH

Travel directions
The National Archives is located between the Central Station, the shopping center Babylon, the Royal Library and the Prince Bernhard Viaduct.

The entrance of the National Archives is opposite the side entrance of Track 12 (RandstadRail Erasmus line) from Central Station. Click here for a map .

Public transport
The Central Station can be reached by train, tram and various city and regional buses. For travel advice for public transport or

Car
The parking garage CS - New Babylon is located next to the National Archives. You can also use the parking garages under the Malieveld and Rijnstraat.

An overview of the car parks in The Hague (map) with a click to the opening hours can be found on the Hague website .

Work Station Area
Around Station Den Haag Centraal are currently extensive work place. The National Archives is therefore difficult to reach by car. We encourage you to make use of public transport.

Current information about the accessibility of the station area can be found on the website The Hague New Central .

ADMISSION

Admission Fees
Adults € 5, -
65 + / students / CJP / Uitpas ed € 3, -
Child between 12 and 18 years € 3, -
Child under 12 years free
ICOM Museum, Museum and Friends free