The Office of the Chief Archivist of Lithuania is a government agency, which participates in the shaping of national policy in the field of management and use of documents and archives, as well as implements this policy, supports the Chief Archivist of Lithuania in the carrying-out of state administration of the field of documents and archives.

 

  

More information about work of a particular state archive is available on its website.

 

Lithuanian Central State Archives


 

Mailing address:

O. Milašiaus 21, LT-10102

Vilnius, Lithuania

 

Telephone: +370 5 247 7830, +370 5 247 7811

Fax: +370 5 276 5318

E-mail: [email protected]

Reserved e-mail: [email protected]

 

Beneficiary's Bank: Swedbank, AB

SWIFT: HABA LT 22

Beneficiary's Acc. No: LT597300010035325812

Institution code 190764187

 

Director

Mr. Dalius Žižys

 

Working hours:

I–IV 8.00–17.00

V 8.00–15.45

Reading room opening hours:

I–IV 8.00–16.45

V 8.00–15.30

 

      Archives preserves records of state, local government, enterprises, religious communities, popular organizations, other non-state institutions and individuals, dating from 1918 until 1990. The division of Sound and Image is the main repository of audiovisual heritage in Lithuania. It preserves moving pictures since 1919, photo negatives and positives since 1850's, sound recordings since 1950's, videotapes since 1988 until the present day.

The documents preserved in the Lithuanian Central State Archives comprise 9 sets.

Written documents: 2,177 fonds, approximately 3.5 million files occupying around 33,000 linear meters of shelving space.

  • Documents of state institutions of the Republic of Lithuania (1918–1940): documents of the Lithuanian State Council, Council of Ministers, Chancellery of President, ministries and departments, offices of county heads, local administrations; documents of scientific, cultural, educational institutions and public organizations; personal collections of public figures and diplomats;
  • Documents of state institutions of the Klaipėda Region (18th c.–1944): documents created by the offices of President of Karaliaučius District Administration and President of Gumbinė District Administration; documents of Klaipėda Magistrate and Šilutė County Administration; land register books of Šilutė and Rusnė, and other collections;
  • Documents of state institutions of South East Lithuania occupied by Poland (1919–1939): documents of civil administrations of Eastern Lands; documents of Provisional Government of Central Lithuania and its departments; fonds of Vilnius Magistrate, Stephen Bathory University; fonds of schools, banks, courts and other institutions and organizations;
  • Documents relating to the Nazi occupation period (1941–1944): fonds of Commissar-General Office in Kaunas, district commissariats, district administrations, police stations, local governments, offices of county heads, prisons, and Jewish Ghetto in Vilnius;
  • Documents relating to the Soviet occupation periods (1940–1941 and 1944–1990): fonds of the Supreme Council Presidium of the Lithuanian SSR, Council of Ministers, ministries, boards and committees, editorial offices, public organisations; personal collections of famous people in science and culture;
  • Approximately 390,000 photographic documents (middle of the 19th c.–until nowadays): photographs, negatives, photographic glass plates, albums, vignettes, slides, digital pictures; works of A. Strauss, J. Čechavičius, A. Fleury,V. Zatorskis; photographic documents by J. Bulhakas, M. Smečechauskas, J. Karazija, J. Miežlaiškis, B. Buračas, A. Varnas, A. Mickus, V. Janiselis. The Soviet period is reflected in thephotographic material of the Lithuanian News Agency ELTA and editorial offices of newspapers; numerous collections of documentary photography works of J. Juknevičius, V. Kapočius, A. Žižiūnas. Modern-day documentary photographs are also being accumulated.
  • Approximately 20,000 audio documents: sound recordings on gramophone records, magnetic tape, audio cassettes, CDs. The oldest sound record is a series of songs performed by Lithuanian male quartet from Riga and recorded in Riga in 1907.There are also voice recordings of the presidents of Lithuania A. Smetona and K. Grinius, audio recordings testifying the events of 1940 in Lithuania; a collection of recordings of Kaunas Radiophone (Radio of the Reich) programmes relating to the war period; public speeches of Lithuanian functionaries of the Soviet period; recordings of conventions of various organizations and official celebrations of state holidays; recordings of Vilnius Recording Studio; voice recordings of representatives of Lithuanian Reform Movement Sąjūdis, scientists, artists, politicians, Lithuanian expatriates, former political prisoners and deportees; recordings of the programmes of Lithuanian radio service in the USA and Australia; recordings the Voice of America Lithuanian Radio Service of 1951–1995;
  • Over 3,000 video documents. Accumulation of video recordings started in 1988. They were mostly video clips filmed by cameramen of the Archives. They testify to the activities of the National Liberation Movement Sąjūdis, the restoration of independence of Lithuania, the events of January 1991. There are also video recordings of reminiscences of the former deportees, political prisoners, partisans submitted to the Archives by the Lithuanian National Foundation, Inc;
  • Approximately 9,000 cinematographic documents (1910s– to date). Copies of the films made by the Lumieres in 1895 –the earliest films ever made – are preserved in the Archives. There is also a collection of the Lithuanian newsreels from 1918– 940and the works of the first Lithuanian cameramen – K. Lukšys, J.Milius, brothers Motūza-Beleckas, S. Vainalavičius, S. Uzdonas and J. Miežlaiškis; cinematographic material relating to the World War II period; documentaries made in the Lithuanian Film Studios and Lithuanian Television in 1946 – 1990; the first Lithuanian feature films “Blue Horizon” (Žydrasis horizontas),“The Bridge” (Tiltas), “Ignotas Returned Home” (Ignotas grįžo namo), “The Turkeys” (Kalakutai), and others.

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Updated by: Andrius Zilnys, Dokumentų ir archyvų valdymo ir naudojimo skyrius
Updated: 2018-08-23 08:53