Staatsarchiv St. Gallen, Cantonal archive in St. Gallen, Switzerland.
The Staatsarchiv St. Gallen is the canton of St. Gallen's archive, part of the Department of the Interior within the Office of Culture. Its holdings, over 10 shelf kilometres in 2022, include documents, files, books, photographs, maps, plans, coins and medals, mostly on paper but also on parchment, celluloid and glass plates. It grows by 100 to 200 metres each year.
The archive was founded in 1803 and brings together records from twelve independent territories that later merged into the current canton. It documents an important period of administrative and territorial change in eastern Switzerland.
The archive holds records that show how the St. Gallen region changed over time. Visitors can trace the lives and development of local people through photographs and documents.
The reading rooms are accessible Tuesday through Friday and provide space for research with original sources. Visitors should note that opening hours break between morning and afternoon sessions.
The archive holds records from the twelve independent territories that made up the region before 1798, but not all of them are kept here: important holdings remain in the Abbey Archive and the St. Gallen city archive. Since 2003 a consistent appraisal process has guided what enters the collection.
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