The Departmental Archives, a service of the Haute-Marne Department, is responsible for preserving and making available to the public all of the region's written heritage: public archives, from the oldest known documents (a charter of Louis the Pious dating from 814 from the bishopric of Langres) to the most recent (archives of the Departmental Council, the Prefecture, etc.), including court judgments, notarial minutes, etc. In addition to these documents, there are private archives, such as the archives of well-known companies or those of famous people and great families such as Du Châtelet, Diderot, the Bouchardons, Louise Michel, etc.
The archives, which have been located in Choignes since 1975, needed to be extended and refurbished in order to accommodate new archives and welcome visitors in optimum conditions. This project, supported by the Departmental Council since 2008, will be completed in September 2011. The Departmental Archives then took possession of their new building. Modern and innovative (its silo is the only one in France with a natural air-conditioning system), it provides storage capacity and conditions tailored to conservation needs, and now offers access to a very broad public: genealogists, researchers, students, schoolchildren and curious private individuals.
The Departmental Archives also organise conferences, workshops and exhibitions throughout the year!
ARCHIVES DEPARTEMENTALES DE LA HAUTE-MARNE
