Digitala forskarsalen (Digital Research Room) Riksarkivet

Overview

The Digitala forskarsalen (Digital Research Room) is the online archival access platform of Riksarkivet, the Swedish National Archives. Previously known as SVAR (Svensk arkivinformation), the platform was renamed Digital Research Room on 1 February 2018, when its digitized archival content became fully free of charge, funded entirely by public taxation. The platform provides access to approximately 73.5 million scanned archival documents and around 30 million searchable database records, making it one of the largest free-access genealogical and historical archives in the world.

History

SVAR began as a department within Riksarkivet responsible for digitizing archival holdings, making images available online on a subscription basis. Following a public debate about access to publicly funded cultural heritage, the Swedish government transitioned the platform to a fully free public service. Since the 2018 relaunch as Digitala forskarsalen, the service has been fully integrated into Riksarkivet's main portal at sok.riksarkivet.se. The national archival database (NAD) is also accessible through the same portal.

Collections and Holdings

The Digital Research Room holds digitized church books (parish registers from the 1600s to approximately 1950), tax records (mantalslängder from 1642–1820), military rolls, estate inventories, criminal records, court protocols, photographs from the War Archives portrait collections, seamen's records, and maps. Census databases are among the most-used resources, covering Swedish population data across multiple census years with over 24 million searchable individuals. The platform also hosts the Swedish Biographical Lexicon (SBL) and the Swedish Diplomatarium.

Notable Materials for Journalism and Media Research

The holdings include historical newspapers, local and regional publications, and records documenting the printing trade and the press. Military and civil registration records can be used to trace the lives of journalists and media figures. The NAD component provides finding aids and institutional descriptions for all archival bodies in Sweden.

Access and Usage

The platform is freely accessible at sok.riksarkivet.se. No registration is required to browse and download most materials. Riksarkivet also accepts requests for reproductions and research commissions via web forms. The physical address for the Swedish National Archives is Fyrverkarbacken 13–17, Stockholm.