The State Archives of Bologna are the heart of the historical memory of the city. Inside the 34 km of shelves is preserved the documentation produced by the public offices of Bologna, dating from the Middle Ages to the present day and, in addition, there are archives of noble families, churches and convents, hospitals, the ancient university of Bologna, notaries and a rich collection of cartographic and land register material.
The documentary heritage of the State Archives of Bologna consists of more than 5,000 fonds, for a total of about 250,000 items, testifying to a millennium of the history of Bologna and its region, from the 10th to the 20th centuries.
The principal service rendered to the public is to ensure consultation of the documentary material preserved within the Institute. This service takes place in the reading room, which is open eleven hours per day, from Monday to Friday, and in a more limited way also on Saturday morning.
The activities of the Bologna State Archives consist not only of documentary conservation but also making the consultation of historical documents available to the public in the most fully accessible way possible.
