City Archives

The City Archives stores records and provides information

The City Archives heads City of Helsinki records management and serves as the city's central archives.

In this capacity the City Archives is tasked with providing information, archives training, archives inspections and support to the city's offices and departments in various development projects.

As the city's central archives, the City Archives also receives and maintains documents requiring long-term storage and provides related information and research services. In addition, the City Archives receives and collects private archive material about Helsinki.

Documents from years gone by

The City Archives stores those documents that the city sores permanently and, if needed conserves them. The oldest single document dates back to 1569, and the oldest document series goes back to the early 18th century.

In all, the collections include 12 shelf kilometres of documents, thus making Helsinki City Archives one of Finland's largest public archives.

In the Researchers' Room City Archives' customers can study archives items of their choice and receive help from the staff. The City Archives also provides information by letter, telephone or e-mail.

The City Archives contributes to bringing Helsinki's past to the public knowledge through articles, lectures and exhibitions. These exhibitions are arranged in cooperation with many other stakeholders in, for example, the city's exhibition hall Jugendsali.

Archive materials

The most asked-for:

• The City Administrative Court’s records
• Judicial books
• Estate inventories
• Maps and city plans
• Construction plans
• School rolls
• Documents from annexed municipalities
• Documents from the 1952 Olympics
• The Police Department’s address register

The most important registers:

• The municipal annual reports (1875-)
• Address and profession calendars (1848-)

Customer service

The city archives counsels the city’s offices and departments concerning archival matters by giving instructions and archival training, by making inspections and participating in various projects to develop the management of document.

A short query related to archives can be sent to the information and research service: kaupunginarkisto@hel.fi.
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