State archives of the canton of Berne, Memory institution in Bern, Switzerland.
The State Archives of the Canton of Bern is a memory institution that collects documents, maps, plans, and handwritten records central to Swiss administrative history and heritage. The collection spans different periods and areas of cantonal life.
The collection preserves records from the medieval period and the time when Bern was the largest state north of the Alps until 1798. This material documents the administrative and legal history of the canton.
The collection holds family records and personal donations that show how local communities developed and how people were connected to one another. Visitors can see how life in the region looked across generations.
The archives can be visited on specific weekdays and you should allow time to browse through the extensive materials on hand. Visitors should research ahead of time which records they want to examine and whether they are available.
The archive maintains a specialized system for preserving family coats of arms that shows centuries of heraldic tradition in the region. This collection offers a rare look at the heraldic history and identity of local families.
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