@ρχειομνήμων Digital Collections of the Greek State Archives (GAK)

Overview

The @ρχειομνήμων (Arxeiomnimon) platform is the online digital access system of the General State Archives of Greece (Genika Archeia tou Kratous, GAK). It provides public access to digitised collections originating from 37 agencies of the General State Archives across Greece, totalling approximately 7,360,000 pages of archival documents dating from the 17th to the 20th century. The system supports both full-text searching of digitised documents and navigation through the finding aids of all state archival agencies throughout Greece.

History and Background

The General State Archives of Greece were created in 1914 and operate under the Ministry of National Education and Religious Affairs, consisting of a central service, 47 regional services, and 16 local archives. Digitisation of the GAK's collections was carried out through two major EU-funded projects under the Operational Program Information Society, implemented between 2004 and 2008 and in a subsequent phase. These projects were co-funded by the European Regional Development Fund (80%) and national funds (20%).

Collections and Holdings

The digital collections encompass registrar and administrative archives of the Venetian rule from the Ionian Islands, notarial archives from the Peloponnese and Thessaly, cadastral archives of Ottoman administration from Macedonia, educational archives from Thrace and Crete, archives of the sovereignty of Samos, the Ionian State, and the Cretan State, and archives of the Greek Revolution and the governments of Kapodistrias and Otto. Collections span the 17th to the 20th century.

Notable Materials

The platform is a significant resource for genealogical research, including electoral rolls, notarial records, and civil registration documents. Research aids in English are provided for selected collections compliant with the international archival standard ISAD(G).

Access and Usage

The @ρχειομνήμων portal is freely accessible online at arxeiomnimon.gak.gr. Searches are most effective when conducted using Greek-language terms. Users can browse collections by region or search the full text of digitised documents.