The Luxembourg National Archives play a key role in the conservation and communication of public and private archives as well as in the management of information within the state. This work is essential in order to maintain the memory of the country, for a more transparent and more democratic society and for the proper functioning of public organisations.
The National Archives enable citizens and researchers to have access to Luxembourg's collective and individual memory. They thus contribute to administrative transparency so that the citizen can assert his or her right to information.
The National Archives aim to collect and bring together all documents of national historical, scientific, economic, societal and cultural interest. They preserve, classify, study and make an inventory of public and private archives in order to use them for historical and administrative purposes. They advise government and municipal administrations as well as private organisations that request this information, on the preservation and classification of their archives. They also manage relations with public administrations and services as well as with private organisations that deposit their archives.
Through temporary exhibitions, guided tours, educational workshops and palaeography classes, the National Archives enable the general public to have direct contact with Luxembourg's written heritage. For several years now they have also pursued an active policy of digitising their documents. These efforts are aimed at making it easier for the general public to access historic heritage and to avoid a deterioration of the original documents due to regular physical consultations.
- The National Archives currently keep around 45 linear km of archive documents and 33,000 microfilms grouped into 12 groups of collections:
- Old collections (762-1795)
- Modern collections (1795-1880)
- Ministries, administrations and public institutions collections
- Courts and tribunals collections (from 1795)
- Legislative institutions collections
- Notarial archives (from 1606)
- Collections from associations, political parties and religious communities
- Company collections
- Private individuals and families collections
- International organisation collections
- Other collections (maps, plans, photographs, postcards)
- Newspapers, journals and official publications
Since 1968, the National Archives have been located in the former barracks at Plateau du Saint-Esprit in Luxembourg City. They also have archives deposited in part of the Plateau du Saint-Esprit underground car park, as well as at Bourmicht industrial area in Bertrange and in the basement of Athénée de Luxembourg school.