National Archives of the Republic of Belarus (NARB)

Overview

The National Archives of the Republic of Belarus (NARB) is the largest repository of documents on 20th-century Belarusian history, providing storage for the National Archival Fund of the Republic of Belarus. It is located in Minsk, in the same building as the National Library of Belarus.

History

The archive was established in Minsk on May 28, 1927, as the Central Archives of the October Revolution of the Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic (BSSR). In 1930 it moved to Mogilev; in July 1938 it was reorganized as the Central State Archives of the October Revolution and Socialist Construction of the BSSR. It stopped work in 1941 following the German invasion, resumed in Gomel in January 1944, and returned to Minsk in July 1944. It was renamed the Belarusian State Archives in May 1993, and in June 1995 acquired records from the former Central Party Archives of the Communist Party of Belarus.

Collections, Holdings, and Publications

NARB's holdings cover the period from 1917 to the present, with some records from the 17th, late 19th, and early 20th centuries, drawn from the former Vilno, Vitebsk, Grodno, Minsk, Mogilev, and Smolensk provinces of the Russian Empire. Records document the Russian Civil War (1918-1921), the Second World War, and the political, social, economic, and cultural life of Belarus. NARB is distinct from the separate National Historical Archives of Belarus (NIAB), which holds pre-1917 records.

Access and Usage

NARB is located at Prospect Nezavisimosti 116, Minsk, near the Vostok metro station.