Archives of the Republic of Slovenia ARS

History and Founding

The Archives of the Republic of Slovenia (ARS; Slovene: Arhiv Republike Slovenije) is the national archives of Slovenia, housed in the historic Gruber Palace in Ljubljana. Formal archival activity in the region dates to 1773, and the modern institution was founded on October 31, 1945, when the National Government of Slovenia established the Central State Archive of Slovenia as an independent institution. The archive acquired its present name in 1991 following Slovenian independence.

Major expansions occurred in 1990 when the Special Archives of the Central Committee of the Slovene League of Communists were merged into the archive, and in 1998 when the archives of the Ministry of Internal Affairs were incorporated. The Slovene Film Archives section was established in 1968. In December 2025, President Nataša Pirc Musar awarded the ARS the Golden Order for Merits for its contribution to preserving Slovenia's cultural heritage.

Collections and Holdings

As of 2023, the ARS manages 29,450 running meters of archival records arranged in 1,982 archival fonds and collections. Holdings include government files from state authorities and public bodies, church registers, a collection of 5,984 medieval charters (digitized 2004–2005), maps, plans, photographs, film materials, and private archival records.

Access

The reading room operates Monday to Friday 08:00–15:00. Digitized materials and finding aids are accessible through the Virtual Archive Reading Room (VARR) at vac.sjas.gov.si/vac, which integrates holdings from the ARS and six regional Slovenian archives. The archive publishes the bulletin Obvestila and co-publishes the journal Arhivi.