The Municipal
Archives
Archives
Located in the Châtel-devant (front castle) since 1999, the Municipal Archives play a crucial role in the conservation and promotion of the town's heritage and that of the Château Montbéliard-Württemberg.
Memory of the Town of Montbéliard
The Montbéliard Archives preserve 2.5 linear kilometres of documents from the town's administration, as well as from businesses, families, associations, and individuals. They are the guardians of Montbéliard's collective memory. The oldest preserved document dates back to 1283! It is the charter of franchise granted by Renaud de Bourgogne and his wife Guillemette de Neuchâtel to the town's residents.
Regardless of the material - paper, parchment, photographs, or audiovisual - each document benefits from precise temperature, humidity, and light conditions for optimal conservation, thus ensuring their longevity. Far from limiting itself to conservation, the Municipal Archives are also a resource sharing and consultation centre for all researchers and citizens. Access is by registration and allows for genealogical, historical, and administrative research. More than 3,430 books are also available in the reading room to assist users in their research.
Regardless of the material - paper, parchment, photographs, or audiovisual - each document benefits from precise temperature, humidity, and light conditions for optimal conservation, thus ensuring their longevity. Far from limiting itself to conservation, the Municipal Archives are also a resource sharing and consultation centre for all researchers and citizens. Access is by registration and allows for genealogical, historical, and administrative research. More than 3,430 books are also available in the reading room to assist users in their research.
Knowledge Sharing
As part of its role in knowledge sharing, the Municipal Archives welcome primary and secondary school teachers throughout the school year for workshops related to their curriculum, drawing on documents from the archives.
In collaboration with the Tourist Office and the the Centre d'entraide généalogique de Franche-Comté (Franche-Comté Centre of Genealogical Assistance), they also welcome international tourists seeking to trace their family origins. These are often descendants of emigrants from Montbéliard who left the country in the 18th or 19th centuries.
It is estimated that 1,300 residents of all walks of life left for other European or American countries, including Nova Scotia (present-day Canada), in search of better living conditions against a backdrop of economic crisis and religious conflict.
In collaboration with the Tourist Office and the the Centre d'entraide généalogique de Franche-Comté (Franche-Comté Centre of Genealogical Assistance), they also welcome international tourists seeking to trace their family origins. These are often descendants of emigrants from Montbéliard who left the country in the 18th or 19th centuries.
It is estimated that 1,300 residents of all walks of life left for other European or American countries, including Nova Scotia (present-day Canada), in search of better living conditions against a backdrop of economic crisis and religious conflict.
Visit the Archives Website
The Municipal Archives provide the public with an online service providing access to thousands of digitized records and documents, as well as a rich collection of vintage postcards.
Le kiosque des archives
Discover the quarterly publications intended for teachers and the general public. Read the Nos Petites Histoires (Our Little Stories) articles to learn more about the town's iconic personalities, events, and neighbourhoods, and the Zoom periodical, directly linked to the secondary school curriculum.
Preparing your Visit
Access to the reading room is free and open to all upon registration and presentation of proof of identity. This will allow you to access all available documents.
To best prepare your visit, you can browse the search tools and the list of collections on the Archives' search engine: https://archives.montbeliard.com/
Access to the Reading Room:
Registration is free and open to all upon presentation of proof of identity.
Minors must be accompanied or provide parental authorisation.
To best prepare your visit, you can browse the search tools and the list of collections on the Archives' search engine: https://archives.montbeliard.com/
Access to the Reading Room:
Registration is free and open to all upon presentation of proof of identity.
Minors must be accompanied or provide parental authorisation.
Genealogy Tourism
In conjunction with the Tourist Office and the Centre d'entraide généalogique de Franche-Comté (Franche-Comté Centre of Genealogical Assistance), the Archives regularly welcome international tourists. In search of their family origins, they seek information about their ancestors who left the town or the Principality of Montbéliard in the 18th or 19th centuries.
Educational Workshop
Throughout the school year, primary and secondary school teachers are welcome to participate in educational workshops. Several topics are already available: "Montbéliard in the Past", "A Soldier's Journey: the journey of a Montbéliard resident during the First World War", "Montbéliard and the Second World War: Occupation, Resistance, Deportation, and Liberation," "How the Municipal Council Works: The Construction of the Municipal Swimming Pool."