[Ger-Poland-Volhynia] RUSSIAN STATE ARCHIVE NEWS

[Rose Ingram]

For Everyone's information.

Rose Ingram
--------------------------

From: "Kristin Nute" <enute at igc.org>
Sent: 21 February, 2003 4:21 PM


> 21 February 2003
> FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
>
> RUSSIAN HISTORIC ARCHIVE TO CLOSE.
>
> The Russian State Historic Archive in St. Petersburg is planning to close
> to move to another building.
>
> The Presidential Administration, which claims ownership of the buildings
> of the former Senate and Synod where the Archive is currently located,
held
> a
> recent meeting with the archive employees. Employees were informed
> that contrary to previous assurances that documents of the archives would
be
> accessible until a new location is constructed and ready, the documents
are
> now to be
> stored and unavailable.
>
> The order regarding temporary storage of the documents in another
> building was signed by Kas'ianov, Chairman of the Government of the
> Russian Federation, on February 12.  This is a governmental level decision
> and the concerns and opposition by archival authorities have been
> unsuccessful in influencing this decision.
>
> Two buildings were examined, a mental hospital and a military school, with
> the hope that one of these would be ready for immediate storage. However,
> it was determined that conditions were not suitable for storage of the
> contents of the National Archive of Russia. So, examination of other
> buildings is
> continuing.
>
> We (in a global sense) are on the threshold of the loss
> of this Archive for many years. Irreversible losses are
> inevitable in such conditions.  We are at a loss as to what person or
> institution may be able to influence this situation.
>
> Blitz - Information Center will continue to work with the Archives in St.
> Petersburg until files are no longer accessible.  Blitz will also keep
those
> interested in archival research informed of this situation and offer
> alternative methods to
> provide research.
>
>  ***********************************
> News bulletin written by : BLITZ - Information Center staff:
> Elena Tsvetkova - St. Petersburg
> Kristin Nute - San Francisco
>
> Blitz - Information Center provides genealogy and archival searches in
> theSt. Petersburg archives as well as local, regional archives throughout
> the former Soviet Union.  Please contact us if you have questions about
our
> services or the state of archival research in Russia or in the Newly
> Independent States of the former Soviet Union.
>
> Contact Information:
>  Blitz - USA
> Tel: 415-453-3579
> Fax: 415-453-0343
> enute at igc.org
> http://www.feefhs.org/blitz/frgblitz.html