The Archives of Győr City with County Rights preserve the documents of the city and its institutions since 1600. The collection range and competence of the Archives are the same as those of the controlling municipality.

The preconditions of the foundation of the city of Győr were created by the Charter granted by István V in 1271. The settlers of the castle were given the same rights as the citizens of Fehérvár (right to elect a judge, the privilege of holding a fair). Unfortunately, during the nearly 4 years of Turkish occupation the documents were destroyed, thus witness statements were required to recover the earlier privileges. After achieving the status of a free royal city, the work of the previously established city chancellery increased considerably, because the functions of city administration were extended. In all probability, that’s when the archival documents were transferred to the city hall, which was built in 1562 and was a one-storey building at the time. The archival holdings covered a wider range than the documents “produced” by the different offices. An expanding reference library and a seal collection were also listed in the inventory. The archives were not damaged during the war but in the years when the holdings were in bomb shelter, the damp air of the cellars impaired the older records and minutes. Shortly after the introduction of the council system, in 1950 the city archives were centrally merged with the former Győr-Moson County Archives. After the regime change, in 1993 the General Assembly of Győr City Municipality unanimously voted for the restoration of the independence of the city archives and designated the old city hall as a seat for the new institution. The Archives of Győr City have been functioning in the building since 1 March 1994. The municipalities of the city and the county concluded a detailed agreement in the interests of the archives, based on mutual interests. The Győr Studies, the scientific journal of the city is linked to the archives. About the publications of the institution: http://www.vleveltar.gyor.hu/kiadvanyok.htm. The institution regularly organizes exhibitions from the archival material and plays an active role in the city’s cultural life.

You can read more about the archives here.