"Utrecht Archives" Museums Tip by jo104

The Utrecht Archives is housed in a rather impressive building downstairs they have a computerised archive system that holds records dating back to the 11th centuary. You can trace your genealogy here with access to population records, marriage, birth and death certificates from 1811 – 1942. When we visited there was a grandfather and grandchild making up a newspaper for themselves of relevant historic events that perhaps occurred in the granddads time and tracing their family roots. Downstairs as well is a collection of short movies relevant to historic events in Utrecht which you can select and view at your leisure as well as take a virtual tour of places in Utrecht along the main canal.

Upstairs I believe is a large library with a collection of 70,000 books, magazines and newspapers. Also there is access to approximately 500,000 drawings, maps and photographs from which prints can be ordered. There was an exhibition of postcards of Utrecht through the ages and the former prison cells have also been turned into an exhibition. The building used to be a monastery and you can still see traces of the Paulus Abbey, see the Gothic pointed arch used by the Benedictine monks to get the chapter hall. Visit the storage cellar and meet the ghost of this establishment!!

There is English information on paper when you enter the archives but the displays are mostly in dutch.