The Košice City Archives (further referred to as KCA) fulfills one of the basic aims by publishing this short information - to provide the public and the persons interested in studying the history of the city a summary of information about the origins of the Košice City Archives, about its tasks, professional activities and about archival fonds and the collections it is administering. Archival sources kept in the Košice City Archives constitute a part of the Slovak cultural heritage. Presenting and promoting the archival wealth makes up one of the key tasks of this institution, apart from the fundamental task of preserving, protecting and providing access to the documents. Our goal is to be able to promptly provide information from the sources and build a basis for the historical knowledge of the city, region, Slovakia and Slovaks.
The short "Informational guide to fonds and collections of the Košice City Archives" was prepared for that purpose. A detailed "Guide to fonds and collections of KA" was elaborated in 1957 by historian O.R. Halaga. We updated it after nearly 50 years. It is intended both for Slovak and foreign researchers of the archival documents for scientific, educational and administrative purposes. It contains useful information as well, regarding the access to archival documents for personal and official purposes either by studying them in the archives' study hall or by creating extracts, transcripts and certificates of archival documents for administrative purposes. The KA is the only self-government archives in the network of public archives in Slovakia. It is the oldest cultural institution of the city and belongs to one of the most remarkable archives in Slovakia from the point of view of maintaining the medieval material and its completeness. Fonds and collections give authentic testimony about the history of the city and its beginnings to almost nowadays. Townsmen from Košice shared the opinion that the soul of the city is the archives and therefore payed significant attention to their documents over the centuries. Not many archives in Slovakia can boast with such care that was given to the Košice City Archives in the past. The oldest archival finding aids, which greatly exceeded contemporary required standards and served as an example to other archives, testify to this fact. The material from the last 800 years significantly documents the political, economical, social and cultural development of Košice and the villages owned by the city, or where the city owned properties. It is a testimony of the unique role and credit of Košice in the history of the country and reflects the attitude and relationship of Košice to many significant European and domestic places.
This short information is committed to bring closer the spiritual wealth of the city hidden in the archival documents of the Košice City Archives to the specialized and lay public as well. In the name of knowledge of one's own history and sound upbringing towards local patriotism, we're introducing it to the broad public.
