State Archive in Bjelovar
The State Archives in Bjelovar was established in 1961 as the Historical Archives of Bjelovar, by a decision of the People’s Committee of the Bjelovar District, with the consent of the People’s Committees of the Križevci and Daruvar districts. Since 1997, it has operated under its current name as a public archival institution, today responsible for archival material on the territory of Bjelovar-Bilogora County and individual towns and municipalities in Koprivnica-Križevci and Zagreb counties.The core activities of the Archives include the protection, collection, acquisition, arrangement, description, preservation, conservation and restoration of archival records, the preparation of finding aids, professional supervision of records creators and holders, and providing access to archival records for researchers, institutions and the general public. The records preserved in the Archives are important for research into the administrative, social, economic, cultural, educational and everyday history of the Bilogora region and the wider area of northwestern Croatia.
The State Archives in Bjelovar develops digital content and online resources that make archival records and local history more accessible to users. Through the Digital Archives, selected digitized fonds and collections are available, including plans and drawings of public, school and sacral buildings, maps of the town of Bjelovar, records related to the First World War and other thematic content. The Archives also launched Topoteka Bjelovar, a participatory digital community archive intended for the collection, description and public presentation of photographs, documents and citizens’ memories.
In 2024, construction began on a new, modern archival storage facility for the State Archives in Bjelovar, expected to be completed in 2026. The new facility, with a capacity of approximately 13.000 linear metres of records, will provide improved conditions for the permanent protection of archival records and enable the further development of the Archives’ professional, research and digital services.
ONLINE RESOURCES
State Archives in Bjelovar – https://dabj.hr
Digital Archives – https://dabj.hr/digitalni-arhiv
Topoteka Bjelovar – https://bjelovar.topoteka.net
Virtual Exhibitions – https://dabj.hr/virtualne-izlozbe