On 1 April 2022, the State Archives marks the 71st anniversary of its establishment.
The act of establishing the State Archives is one of the most significant events in our recent history, while for our country and our people the Archives provides an original testimony of the state existence and its continuity, as well as for our identity.
The State Archive today is a modern archive institution with the status and competencies of a state body with a total of 238 employees. It is a starting destination from which to study the genesis and historical development of the Macedonian nation, the Macedonian language, history and culture, and their affirmation internationally. The State Archive holds 7,769 archive funds, about 70,000 archive books, 382 collections, a multitude of microfilmed archive material, and intensive work is being done on the digitalization of the priority historical funds.
In the period 1951-1962 the network of district archives was completed in Skopje, Ohrid, Bitola, Prilep, Kumanovo, Veles, Stip, Strumica and Tetovo. In the period 1965-1990 they act as inter-municipal archives, under the name of historical archives. From 1990 until today, they are regional departments within the State Archives as the only administrative organization.
The State Archive successfully dealt with the numerous objective problems it faced in the first time (lack of storage space, disorder of holders' funds, lack of professional staff, underdeveloped methodology, etc.) and monitored and responded appropriately to social changes in the period of existence of an autonomous and independent Republic of Macedonia.
The State Archive today is a modern archive institution with the status and competencies of a state body with a total of 238 employees. It is a starting destination from which to study the genesis and historical development of the Macedonian nation, the Macedonian language, history and culture, and their affirmation internationally. The State Archive holds 7,769 archive funds, about 70,000 archive books, 382 collections, a multitude of microfilmed archive material, and intensive work is being done on the digitalization of the priority historical funds.
Over the years, several archive laws and numerous decrees and instructions have been adopted that regulate the office and archive work of the holders and the work in the State Archives. The methodology of the professional work of the holders and in the Archive has been developed. As a result of the work of the Sector for inspection and professional supervision and assistance to the holders, the Archive is increasingly receiving selected and secondary archive material with descriptions and inventories. Numerous funds and collections have been arranged and processed, scientific-informative means have been prepared for them, which have been entered into the ADP databases and can be easily searched and used by scientific researchers and citizens in the country. The State Archives has developed a rich international and bilateral activity and has conducted numerous archival researches in foreign archives. As a result of the developed international cooperation with many archive institutions outside the country, over 30 bilateral agreements have been signed. The State Archives has a developed publishing activity, which includes over 400 monographic editions, collections of documents, and other types of publications.In the direction of modernization and monitoring of technologies, the State Archive follows the trends and always responds to the needs and requirements of its employees. For that purpose, at the request of the State Archive, and based on the agreement with the State Statistical Office of February 17, 2022, for permanent use of movable items, the Archive received as a gift 130 computers, which were distributed to employees in the central and regional offices. which completely met the needs of computer technology.
State Archives in the past 71 years with the implementation of international and European standards in the field of archiving, managed to build a modern and important state institution, which is a national vault of original archive documents, photographs, and other materials by famous Macedonian revolutionaries, educators, social activists, as well as documents from the most significant political-historical processes, events and personalities for our country. With the program orientation, it manages to respond to the modern social needs and scientific achievements as well as to numerous requests of the institutions and the citizens of the Macedonian independent and sovereign state.
Congratulations on April 1, the day of the State Archives and archivists in the country.
