Staatsarchiv Aargau, Cantonal archives in Aarau, Switzerland
Staatsarchiv Aargau is a memory institution in Aarau that collects and preserves administrative records, land registers, and historical documents from the canton. The building houses organized collections spanning several centuries and provides researchers access to these materials.
The archive was established in 1803 following the creation of Canton Aargau and collects documents from former Bernese and Habsburg territories. This brought together administrative records from different rulers into a single institution.
The archive holds personal documents and records that show how people in Aargau lived and worked over generations. These collections tell the story of local communities through their own writings and administrative traces.
Visitors can access documents by appointment during opening hours and receive help from staff while researching. It helps to plan ahead about which materials interest you before arriving.
The Ringier Bildarchiv, held here, comprises around 7 million press photographs and is the largest photo archive in public hands in Switzerland. The archive also preserves the papers of writer Heinrich Zschokke and poet Paul Haller, plus the historical book archive of the Aarau publisher Sauerländer.
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