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The Swedish National Archives

The National Archives (Riksarkivet) constitutes themain source for our knowledge of Sweden’s history.Here are preserved the records of the kingdom fromits beginnings to the present day. We know very lit-tle, however, about the earliest phase of Swedish ar-chives. The power of the State was loosely organised,and it is probable that documents had a fairly rov-ing existence and were kept where they might bestbe secure. It was not until the regulation of the Chan-cellery in 1618, carried out by Axel Oxenstierna,that the name Riksarkivet (then known as “rijksensarchivum” – the Archive of the Realm) and the em-bryo of an organisation became firmly established.

In 1786 the writer and Antiquary of the Realm,Gudmund Jöran Adlerbeth, delineated in a speechat Kungl. Vitterhetsakademien (the Swedish RoyalAcademy of Letters, History and Antiquities) the es-sential nature of the archive as “an establishment ofthe utmost importance for the governance of thekingdom, history, and the safety of the individual”.His description is of the greatest relevance even to-

day. By curating, cataloguing and making availableofficial administrative documents, the National Ar-chives acts as a guarantee for civilian security andfor the public administration to make proper deci-sions, as well as being a vital source for the retellingof history in the future. The enormous storage re-positories of the National Archives contain manyrelics of Swedish history, revealing individual hu-man destinies and the varied fortunes of many or-ganisations.

The dramatic technological developments of re-cent years also leave their mark on the archives.Nowadays we invest our energies intensively in thisfield and an increasing number of authorities use theopportunity to deposit their documents in digitalformat. This situation places new demands on us,and the archives are in an exciting phase of develop-ment, though the end is not yet in sight. Neverthe-less, our description for the future will remain thesame as in 1786.

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The main duty of the National Archives is to receiveand preserve the archives of the Swedish Parliamentand the various ministerial departments and centralauthorities of State, and to supervise archive man-agement throughout Sweden. State authorities whichhave ceased operations are obliged to deposit theirarchives with the National Archives. Private ar-chives – from individuals, societies, political partiesand others – are also an important part of the Na-tional Archives’ holdings. These have been deposit-ed on a voluntary basis and sometimes permission isrequired for their study. The State archives, on theother hand, supported by the Swedish principle ofpublic access to official records, are open to allusers, apart from those records which are in a poorstate physically or officially classified as secret for acertain length of time.

The National Archives is responsible, throughthe State herald, for the official heraldry of the

country, i.e. the design of coats of arms, flags andemblems relating to the State. Advice to urban andrural districts on heraldic matters also comes undertheir remit. Assignments include making drafts fornew coats of arms, as well as checking applicationsfor registered trademarks containing State symbolsor other official armorial bearings. Many researchenquiries, including identification of historic coatsof arms and imprints from seals are also handled.

The National Archives is the chief body for theregional archives which are to be found in Härnö-sand, Östersund, Uppsala, Visby, Vadstena, Lundand Gothenburg, whilst the City Archives of Stock-holm and the Värmland Archives in Karlstad act asregional archives for the counties of Stockholm andVärmland respectively. Local and regional archiveadministration is managed by the regional archives,which in principle work in the same way as the Na-tional Archives.

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With Gustavus Vasa’s accession to the throne in1523 the development of the archives gathered mo-mentum; the Registry of the Realm and accountbooks, provincial records and diplomatic treatieswere assembled at the National Archives. The pa-pers of the administrative colleges, together with re-gional records sent in, were compiled into serieswhich included Finnish, Baltic and German archivematerial from all corners of the Swedish Empireduring the Great Power Period – including rolls inCyrillic alphabet from Novgorod, remnants of theSwedish Occupation of 1611–1617.

The National Archives is one of the oldest authori-ties in Sweden, with roots going back to the MiddleAges. It was officially established through a Chan-cellery order of 1618. Here – on parchment, paper,microfilm and digital media – are kept holdings tak-ing up almost 300 kilometres of shelving, equiva-lent to the distance from Stockholm to Jönköping.This wealth of information is well protected in theNational Archives’ buildings at Marieberg in centralStockholm and Arninge, north of Stockholm, as wellas at Krigsarkivet (the Military Archives) at Gärdet,also in the capital. The collections of records, in theform of both paper documents and digital formats,grow steadily.

The earliest document from the tenth centuryThe earliest extant document at the National Ar-chives is a leaf from a missal, written on parch-ment in England at the turn of the eleventh centu-ry. This arrived in Sweden via English missionaryactivities in Norway. In the sixteenth centuryGustavus Vasa confiscated the possessions ofchurches and monasteries, together with some20,000 medieval deeds on parchment and paper(many with imprints from seals, a wonderful artcollection in miniature). Thousands of leavesfrom handwritten books, many with Gregorianchants, were used as covers for bailiffs’ accounts.

Ratification by czars Ivan and Peter of the Treaty of Kardis, 1661 andthat of Pliusa in 1666. Moscow, 6th June, 1683. (From the collectionof original tracts in the National Archives.)

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Detail of Karl XII’s letter to General Magnus Stenbock, 1702. Theletter refers to the campaign taking place at the time in Novidze(Poland). On the last page Karl has spilt some ink and commentsunderneath: ”Wassment, I have just knocked the ink onto the paper,but I can’t be bothered to rewrite it. You ought, indeed, to be able to read it even so”. Wasement (Dutch): evil smelling odour.(Ericsbergsarkivets Autografsamling.)

After this the collections at the National Archivesexploded into exuberant diversity: records from theRiksdag, various departments of State, central au-thorities and their predecessors, as well as the re-mains of the royal name stamp which Gustavus IIIhad destroyed after the State coup of 1772; recordsfrom the time of Olof Palme and the Bofors Com-missions of Enquiry, the Dala Rebellion of 1743and the Armfelt treason of 1790, and also the gov-ernmental reform of 1809. Among the Cabinet pa-pers of the various ministries all the governmentaldecisions, plus background documents from 1840to the 1980s, are available for study. There is even atextile sample collection from manufactures of theeighteenth century.

The National Archives has approximately onehundred thousand maps and drawings, covering allbuildings owned by the State from 1697 to 1993.The National Archives’ Military Archives Depart-ment has a comprehensive, and in many waysunique, collection of maps, which apart fromSwedish historical maps, includes hand drawn for-eign topographical maps and fortification plans.

Älvsborg was one of themost important tradingroutes for export in thesixteenth and seventeenthcenturies. Its fortress wasconstantly vulnerable toDanish attacks and twiceoccupied, but both timesSweden regained thisstronghold after payinglarge ransoms. (Krigs-arkivet, Stads- och fäst-ningsplaner, Älvsborg, no. 144b).

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Letter written to King Oscar II in 1876 by Jenny Lind Goldschmidt.She writes and thanks him for the great distinction bestowed on herhusband that year, and is sorry “not to have had the great honourof being able to pay my humble respects to Your Majesty”. She alsotells of a pupil, a Miss Larssen from Norway, for whom she knowsthe king has particular sympathy but who, in Jenny’s opinion, “isnot gifted with artistry”. (Sjöholmsarkivet I. Autograph Collection.)

Private archivesPrivate archives have arrived at the National Ar-chives by many routes: in the past via seizure andconfiscation, but nowadays mainly through do-nations or deposits. They complement the Statearchives with the kind of information that neverfound its way into the official records. The NationalArchives private archives begin with some splendidseventeenth and eighteenth century material fromlarge estates, such as the Skokloster Collection, andthe Sjöholm, Stafsund and Ericsberg archives. Theyinclude many of the archives of the high aristocracy,statesmen, cultural figures and others, and alsomanorial archives like those from Tidö, collectionsfrom several of the classic folk movements (temper-ance, non-conformism, missionary activities), and a

significant number of national societies and associa-tions, as well as some large company archives. ThePress Archives collection contains the archives ofjournalists and the press, newspaper posters, regis-ters of signatures, and a large special library.

The National Archives is responsible for allocat-ing all State funding distributed to the managementof private archives, including sums contributed tofolk movements, society and business archives. Thenational register of private archives lists privatearchives throughout the country. The relevant infor-mation is available in the National Archive Data-base (NAD), which can be accessed on www.ra.se.

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Unique documents have their own characteristics asrelics of the past and bits of the jigsaw puzzle of his-tory, and their charm lies in their authenticity. TheNational Archives endeavours to make this wealthof information from the past available to an increas-ingly wider public. It is not necessary to be an estab-lished researcher to enter the world of documents!

The educational activities of the National Ar-chives include lecturing, guidance for researchers,and conducted tours for university students as wellas for associations and study circles. Databases of

different types form an important beginning forsearches. Data-base updates are also published onour home page, www.ra.se. In Ramsele, in the northof Sweden, the National Archives has a special de-partment (SVAR) dealing with production and dis-tribution of archival information in the form of mi-crofiche and digital media, to facilitate research andteaching.

On the second Saturday in November an annualArchive Day is arranged, when the public has an op-portunity to go behind the scenes and attend lec-

The National Archives receives a couple of hundred visiting groups each year. Here an archivist talks about records and their history.

tures by specially invited speakers. In the large en-trance hall at the National Archives are mini exhibi-tions, and the Document of the Month is also dis-played via our home page.

As a joint venture with the regional archives, theNational Archives publishes a yearbook, which is in-cluded in the membership subscription of Pro Me-moria, the Association of Friends of the NationalArchives.

Svenskt Diplomatarium is a publication serieswhich, ever since the start, has been a referencepoint for researchers on the Middle Ages. Here me-dieval deeds are published.

Information on all medieval deeds is assembled ina database, easily accessible and searchable via thehome page of the National Archives. This register isa great help to researchers working on as yet unpub-lished deeds.

Apart from a large number of original deeds,smaller collections of medieval records exist in oth-er archives and research libraries, as do a significantnumber of post medieval transcripts. The NationalArchives can provide information, in one form oranother, on a total of some 40,000 medieval deedtexts.

Many of the Svenskt Diplomatarium volumes arebased on original deeds. This photograph shows a deed drawn up on 15th March, 1376, orderingsomeone to undertake pilgrimages, amongst themto Rome, Trondheim and Vadstena, in atonement for manslaughter.

Apart from original deeds, transcripts also form an important source.On the left is a copy book once belonging to Strängnäs Cathedral.On the right is a book from Vadstena Abbey, containing transcriptsof important legal documents pertaining to the Birgittine Order.

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search desks, where they come into practical use.The National Archives’ library is also available tovisiting researchers.

Family historyGenealogical research has always been a subject ofgreat interest. The first Swedish genealogical table,carved into a runestone in the province of Upplandin the Viking period, has been succeeded by thou-sands of others in the form of fanciful family trees.Nowadays, though, one goes about things in a morescientific way. The National Archives’ holdings in-clude all sorts of genealogical investigations, fromRasmus Ludvigsson’s sixteenth century tables relat-ing to the Vasa Dynasty to the popular Settergrengenealogical book of our own time.

The Arninge branch of the National Archives hassixty places with microfiche readers. Church regis-ters for the whole of Sweden can be examined up toc. 1895. Microfiche information also exists on par-ish catechismal interrogations, births, marriages anddeaths, confirmation, Communion, and migrationfrom the parish. Original documents are kept in theholdings of the respective regional archives.

As a complement to the church registers, re-searchers can use the archives of Statistiska Central-byrån (the National Statistics Office of Sweden;SCB). Abstracts from the births, marriages anddeaths registers for 1860–1930/1949 exist on mi-crofiche, as well as other information, for instanceon emigrants.

Using archive information from public administra-tion is, in Sweden, the right of everyone since the ra-tification of the Press Act of 1766. In order to findthe answers one seeks, a certain amount of detectivework is often needed. Information in, for example,handwritten medieval legal documents is, by its verynature, widely dispersed, and researchers need tocombine information from many different sources.Of assistance to researchers are the several thou-sand manual and digital registers and lists in thesearch room at the National Archives, and these arelinked up with the web based National ArchiveDatabase (NAD).

Researchers can also obtain help from the gene-ral guide published by the National Archives (“Riks-arkivets beståndsöversikt”), research literature, andthe folder series, “Hitta i” (“How to find in”), en-abling them to follow the path of information be-tween different archives.

By tradition, research at the National Archiveshas predominantly been connected with academictheses in history, art history, ethnology, history ofmedicine, Nordic languages and history of law.Many also come, or write to, the National Archivesto search for records connected with their own lives.

Experienced archivists are available to assist withsearches, and when the document request slip hasbeen filled in and the location found, researchers donot have to wait long for the material they have or-dered. Every year tens of thousands of volumes arebrought out of the cool archive stores to the re-

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A researcher using one of the microfiche readers in the search roomat Arninge. The staff are available with advice and information. Theyalso arrange evening courses for family history research.

A microfiche containing a number of entries from Riksregistraturet(the Registry of the Realm). The magnified page is addressed fromThorn and dated 4th August, 1703.

The research room at Marieberg has fifty six places and eighteen small work rooms for researchers. In the background is Lennart Rodhe’s tapestry,”Signs in an Archive”, from 1968.

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ises above ground by means of lifts, one set of twofor carrying staff and another set for records. AtMarieberg, too, the stores eventually became full,and small depots on the outskirts of Stockholm had to suffice until 1995, when the Arninge branchof the National Archives was inaugurated in Täby,north of Stockholm.

The National Archives’ department, Svensk Mu-seitjänst (SMT), is situated in Tumba, south-west ofStockholm. It supplies storage facilities and variousservices to the museums of Stockholm as well as toother cultural institutions. The buildings at the de-pot are specially designed for long term storage andcare of objects and are able to offer independent ad-justment of temperature and humidity. The staff arespecially trained in the relevant fields.

The storage situation has not always been as wellorganised and secure as it is now. Some three hun-dred years ago, on 7th May, 1697, when the oldcastle of ”Three Crowns” was destroyed by fire, theNational Archives, too, was badly affected. Only a

The enormous amounts of archival records have in-creased, in recent decades, to avalanche like propor-tions, and deliveries from the State sector arrive, atthe moment, at an average speed of approximately30,000 shelf metres per annum. In 1968 the Na-tional Archives moved from its old location on Rid-darholmen to the present ones at Marieberg. It wasfelt that archive accommodation blasted into therock, with space for 80 kilometres of shelving forpaper records, ought to be sufficient for at least thenext fifty years. The special, climatically controlledconcrete storage complex on six levels, partly belowthe water level of Lake Mälaren, is linked with prem-

Underneath the National Archives building above ground is thestorage complex on six levels, built into a large cavern in the middleof the primary rock.

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The National Archives on the island of Riddarholmen,designed by architect Gustaf Nyström and inauguratedin 1891.

Govert Camphuysen’s painting, “The Castle of ThreeCrowns from Castle Hill” (1661), shows the royal castle as seen from the southwest.

Svensk Museitjänst (SMT) has modern premises for the storage ofprehistoric and historical items.

third of the archival treasures escaped the flames.Fire damage as well as mildew from excess humidi-ty, have affected the old tax records after conflagra-tions in 1802 and 1807 on the island of Riddarhol-men, when many bailiffs’ account books, popula-tion registers and land registers went up in flames. Itwas not until 1891 that the specially built the Na-tional Archives on Riddarholmen was inaugurated.This palace, in brick with a supporting structure ofcast iron, was one of the buildings shown off duringthe great Stockholm exhibition of Art and Industryin 1897 as one of the most modern and fire resistantin the capital.

Taking material out from the stores, where the tempera-ture is approximately 17°C., and the relative humidityapproximately 35%.

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The National Archives has almost 20,000 medieval parchmentdocuments and 30,000 seal imprints. These are looked after bythe conservator specialising in wax imprints.

Conservation work demands both theoretical knowledge and goodmanual skills. The map dealt with here is “A General Chart of Stockholmwith ‘malmar’ (outlying districts),” by Peter Tillaeus, from 1733.

much nor too little – using the knowledge we haveof materials, deterioration, wear and tear, and withrespect for the original. Specially made storage con-tainers are an important component in conservationwork. Preventive care and conservation go hand inhand.

Micrography (microfilming) is an importantmeans of protecting original material, thereby safe-guarding the information and disseminating thecontent of the archives to users in different localities

One of the main duties in archive work is to ensurethat the wealth of information contained in the col-lections is secure for the future, an objective whichimbues all the activities involved. An adequate stor-age environment and fixed routines for handling thearchives have priority, but when even these preven-tive measures are insufficient to check deterioration,more active steps are needed, i.e. conservation.

Conservation involves direct intervention withthe archive material. The art is to do neither too

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mat. The storage of digital information has been asubject for much innovative thinking and develop-ment work and is still a great challenge to the ar-chive world. For future visitors to the National Ar-chives it is of the greatest importance that methodsare developed for preserving digital records in along term perspective.

and institutions. The greatest contribution in thisfield is made by the Arninge branch of the NationalArchives, while scanning is carried out by the Na-tional Archives media conversion unit, Mediakonver-teringscentrum (MKC).

Archive material which arrives at the NationalArchives in digital form is also to be kept in this for-

Microfilming a population register of1782 from the county of Skaraborg.

The National Archives has a so calledHSM (Hierarchy Storage Management)system, with an open reel tape robotfor the physical storage of digital files.

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were settled in 1991 by means of special archive leg-islation. This gave The National Archives the rightto issue instructions concerning archives belongingto the State authorities and those relating to certainother public activities. The directions and generalrecommendations issued by the National Archivesare published in the institution’s own collection ofstatutes, RA-FS. Advice, inspections, decisions ondestruction, training, etc. ensure that these regula-tions are observed.

The National Archives also maintains compe-tence on special matters such as archival legislation,writing materials, assessments as to secrecy, archivepremises, registration and modern archive theory.The National Archives issues general advice to localauthorities at district and county council level in co-operation with the Swedish Association of LocalAuthorities and the Federation of Swedish CountyCouncils, since 1st January, 2005, known as theSwedish Association of Local Authorities and Re-gions.

The National Archives is the highest supervisorybody in Sweden for the handling of public recordsand takes measures in all aspects of archive care vis a vis the central State authorities. Through theregional archives it also works at local and regionallevels. The conditions governing the responsibilitiesof authorities and archive authorities respectively

This photograph shows a typical official visit: an archivist fromthe National Archives discusses with the archive staff on the spot.

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Please note that all phone and fax numbers have been changed since end of 2008. You can reach us all on +46-(0)10-476 70 00.For further information, please visit our web site, www.statensarkiv.se.

The illustration on the inside cover shows fifty signatures in original handwriting of known and unknown people inSwedish history, taken from the holdings at the National Archives:

11.. F. von Dardel 22.. The marks of Anders Olofsson, Jöns Nilsson and Mikael Ersson 33.. G. A. Reuterholm 44.. QueenHedvig Elisabeth Charlotta 55.. C. Polhem 66.. E.J.S. Dahlberg 77.. Ulla Lindström 88.. August Strindberg 99.. Edith Liljedahl 1100.. A. Joh. Amnéus 1111.. Carl XVI Gustaf 1122.. Axel Oxenstierna 1133.. Emanuel Swedenborg 1144.. Carl Ludvig Söderström1155.. Emil Hildebrand 1166.. Per Månsson 1177.. Jacob Faggot 1188.. Carl XIV Johan 1199.. J. J. Ankarström 2200.. Baltzar von Platen2211.. The mark of Anders Eriksson 2222.. Queen Kristina 2233.. Ebba Brahe 2244.. Gustav II Adolf 2255.. The mark of Johan Jacob-sson 2266.. J. M. Piper 2277.. Queen Sophia Magdalena 2288.. Selma Lagerlöf 2299.. Gustav III 3300.. Queen Desideria 3311.. Karl XII3322.. Dag Hammarskjöld 3333.. G. H. Lothigius 3344.. Carl von Linné (Linnaeus) 3355.. Gustav Vasa 3366.. Hans Järta 3377.. CarlMichael Bellman 3388.. Hjalmar Branting 3399.. G. Stiernhielm 4400.. Peminacka – Indian chief in New Sweden 4411.. Sven Hedin4422.. Carl G. Tessin 4433.. The mark of Isaac Herranen 4444.. Jonas Alström 4455.. Alfred Nobel 4466.. A. Ehrensvärd 4477.. LoveAlmqvist 4488.. E. M. Staël von Holstein 4499.. N. Porath 5500.. Queen Lovisa Ulrika.

The back cover shows: The National Archives, Marieberg, designed by architects Åke Ahlström and Kjell Åström and inaugurated in 1968; The National Archives, Arninge, designed by architect Jean-François Richard Boetten AB and

inaugurated in 1995; Krigsarkivet, designed by Cyrillus Johansson and taken into use in 1947; SVAR, designed by Per Persson MAF arkitektkontor and completed in 1994; MKC, designed by Sten Olssons Ingenjörsbyrå AB and inaugurated in 1970; the two buildings comprising SMT were originally from the 1970s and formed part of the Alfa Laval industrial complex.

Production team: Karin Borgkvist Ljung: project planning and text; Anna Fornäs: text; Maria Balke: graphic design; Kurt Eriksson: photographer; Ann-Sofie Persson: assistant photographer; Bertil Olofsson: photo, page 4;

Vladimir A. Sagerlund: illustration, page 10 and map, page 15; Anna Karin Hermodsson, Örjan Romefors, Lars-Olof Welander and Cecilia Nilsson: guidance and text revision; Skans Victoria Airey: translation.

Printed by: Alfa Print AB, Sundbyberg 2006. ISBN 91-88366-70-7

2020

KRIGSARKIVET AT GÄRDETRIKSARKIVET, MARIEBERG

SVAR, RAMSELEMKC, FRÄNSTA SVENSK MUSEITJÄNST, TUMBA

RIKSARKIVET, ARNINGE