Swedish War Archives Krigsarkivet National Archives of Sweden

Overview

The Military Archives of Sweden (Krigsarkivet) is the specialised division of the National Archives of Sweden (Riksarkivet) responsible for preserving and providing access to archival records relating to the Swedish armed forces and defence agencies. It is located at Banergatan 64 in Stockholm.

History and Founding

Krigsarkivet was established in 1805 in connection with the Field Survey Corps (Fältmätningskåren), with an initial focus on archiving military surveys, maps, and cartographic documentation. It was formerly an independent government authority responsible for the inspection and control of military records since 1943. In 1995, the Military Archives were incorporated into the National Archives of Sweden (Riksarkivet). Regional archives for the armed forces were merged into Krigsarkivet, and in 2010, following the full merger of regional archives with Riksarkivet, Krigsarkivet became a division of the consolidated national body.

Collections and Holdings

The archived materials date from the sixteenth century to the present, covering all branches of the Swedish armed forces. The collections include general muster rolls (musterrullar) from 1680 onwards, personnel records, conscription service cards (stamkort) from 1901 to 1921, hand-drawn maps and military topographic surveys, drawings and descriptions of military buildings and equipment, photographs, and private archives of key persons in Swedish military history. The Central Soldiers Register (Centrala Soldatregistret), drawn from these muster rolls, contains approximately 500,000 entries covering enlisted soldiers from 1682 to 1901. In 1956, the Sea Chart Authority's archives were deposited, adding thousands of nautical charts dating from 1809.

Access

The archive is open to public researchers and genealogists. The collections are partly accessible online through Riksarkivet's digital research portals. The reading room has 18 research stations and eight microfiche readers.