Stadsarchief AmsterdamEdit This Page

The "Bazel" building. Image courtesy of Amsterdam Municipal Department for the Preservation and Restoration of Historic Buildings and Sites (bMA).

Contact Information

E-mail: informatie@stadsarchief.amsterdam.nl^[1]

Visiting Address:^[2]

Vijzelstraat 32

1017 HL Amsterdam, Netherlands

Mailing Address:

Postbus 51140

1007 EC Amsterdam, Netherlands

Telephone:^[2]  +31(0)20 - 25 11 511
Fax:  31 (0)20 - 2511512

Hours:^[2]  Tuesday-Friday 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.; Saturday-Sunday 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Originals Reading Room, and Repro (copy center) closed weekends (no access to original documents).

Public transportation and map:^[2]  The City Archives can be reached by tram from Central Station: take lines 16, 24 and 25, get out at the Keizersgracht stop. For a Google Earth photo-map, click here.

Internet sites and databases:

• Amsterdam City Archives Internet site services, programs, inventories, rules, what to do when you arrive, tours, exhibitions and tickets.
• Amsterdam City Archives Database Genealogy Indexes including Population Register record cards 1850-1994, World War II Police "Meldingsrapporten" 1940-1945, Burial registers 1553-1811, Burial register at De Nieuwe Ooster 1894-2005, "Boedelpapieren" orphanage papers 1634-1938, "Comportementboeken" Naval Training Academy papers 1785-1971, Population Register Family Cards 1893-1939, Passports 1940-1945, Police files on convicts 1880-1917, Forced labor in Germany records 1940-1945, Market Cards for vendors 1922-1954, and "Huiszittenhuizen" poor relief 1808-1870.
  
• Amsterdam City Archives Inventories record group descriptions (in Dutch language only).
  
• Wikipedia: Amsterdam City Archives brief history, preservation, and archives publications.

Collection Description

This is the largest city archives in the world with over 28 miles (35 km) of shelves. They preserve documents about the history of Amsterdam primarily from the Amsterdam municipal government. They also have many national records about Amsterdam. They have collected over 260,000 photos, drawings, and prints. A large part of their genealogical records are online—for details see the databases above.^[3]

Some of the earliest New York City (New Netherland) records are also stored here. Also, the earliest European New York settlers often lived in Amsterdam before their move to the New World.^[4]

Alternate Repositories

If you cannot visit or find a source at the Stadsarchief Amsterdam, a similar source may be available at one of the following.

Overlapping Collections

• Nationaal Archief, The Hague, houses the records of the Netherlands national government, the province of South Holland, and the Dutch East India Company.^[5]
  

Similar Collections

• Centraal Bureau voor Genealogie, The Hague, Dutch genealogies including histories of religious refugees who settled in North and South America, South Africa, and the West Indies.^[6]
  
• Bibliotheque Wallone, Leiden, Collection des fiches or Leiden Collection Dutch and French Protestant birth-christenings, marriages, deaths and membership indexes.^[7]
  
• Huguenot Society of London, some Dutch Reformed Church faithful and Huguenots settled in England before moving to New York.^[8]
  
• New York Public Library, New York City, is one of the world's great research libraries, including early New York (New Netherland) records and histories. ^[9]
  

Neighboring Collections

• Gemeentearchief Rotterdam, Rotterdam municipal archives (or other Dutch city archives) may have a digital family tree, notarial deeds, library, city directories, and other collections.^[10]
  

Sources