90 years of the Maribor Provincial Archive, which also keeps documents from 1246

“The oldest document that we keep in the archive was created in 1246, but we can also point out a large collection of documents, an extensive photo library and funds, and collections that relate to all areas of our lives. We take over archival material from administration, justice, education into the archive and education, culture, science, health and social care, and the economy, and we also store material from individuals and families,” said the director Nina Gostenčnik.

This year marks 90 years since the Rules of Procedure of the Banovina Archive in Maribor were adopted on April 29, 1933, which established an archival institution with the task of preserving archival material in the area of ​​Štajerska, Carinthia and Prekmurje.

The tradition of collecting, preserving and safeguarding archival material in this area dates back to 1903, when Slovenian educated people founded the Historical Society for Slovenian Styria in Maribor with the ideological leader Franc Kovačičsaid the director at a recent press conference.

Documents in the archive are not only useful for historical research, but are needed by individuals, among other things, when they regulate ownership relationships or need lost certificates. Annually, this second largest regional archive in Slovenia has around 2,000 such users. They also prepare presentations and workshops for schoolchildren and other events for the general public, and in recent years they have paid a lot of attention to the digitization of archival documents.

On the occasion of the jubilee, they are preparing an exhibition with the title Books in the archive – at the service of man. “Books are mainly associated with libraries. In the archives, we keep books that do not have a publisher, are not published, are not accessible to everyone, but are important for every individual, because they follow him quietly, in the background, throughout his life. We will therefore exhibit books, in whose records prove that we were born, married, educated, were employed, insured, paid taxes, were in the army, saw a doctor and the like,” said the director.

Opening of new premises on Main SquareThis year, they also plan to open new premises on the main square, where in the last year and a half they have renovated the exhibition space or the lecture hall and organized the reception office, where people will be able to submit requests for obtaining copies of archival material and examine archival material.

In May, together with the Historical Society, dr. Franc Kovačič prepared a ceremony for the founding of the Historical Society for Slovenian Styria, and in October a ceremonial academy for the archive’s 90th anniversary.

In cooperation with the Maribor Museum of National Liberation, they are preparing an exhibition 110 years since the beginning of the construction of the Fala Hydroelectric Power Plant, and in cooperation with the Maribor Library, an exhibition of 60 years of the Kurirček Festival, which took place in Maribor from 1963 to 1992.

The exhibition will also mark 110 years of Maribor’s Main Bridge and 60 years of the construction of Tito’s Bridge, they will publish the 50th volume of Materials for the History of Maribor, organize the 45th international conference on the technical and substantive problems of classical and electronic archiving, and publish digitized materials from the Maribor Historical Society fund and Franca Kovačič.

While the new premises for the unit in Murska Sobota are already under construction, the Provincial Archives of Maribor have been working for many years for additional premises in Maribor. According to the director, the idea to build a new building in the Youth Park is “fell into the water”but a possible location in the Tezno district was revealed. “Talks are ongoing,” said the director.