With more than 1,000 documents from over a hundred Catalan archives, this digital resource allows you to discover how Catalonia’s documentary heritage links it to the construction of Europe.
Foreword
Joan Boadas i Raset
Curator, ‘Catalonia, Country of Archives’
Catalonia’s documentary heritage is living proof of its active involvement in the construction of Europe. The project ‘Catalonia, Country of Archives: Documents that make Europe’ has been launched on the occasion of the International Archives Congress to be held in Barcelona, in October 2025. A joint initiative sponsored by more than a hundred Catalan archives, it seeks to showcase Catalonia’s historical role in Europe.
The project consists of two main parts: a wide-ranging digital resource and an extensive programme of educational activities across Catalonia. The digital space you are now visiting is the first part, a public environment that encourages you to explore more than a thousand historical documents, carefully selected according to chronological, typological, thematic and geographic criteria.
The aim of this resource is twofold: first, to highlight the importance of Catalonia’s documentary heritage from the earliest mediaeval records to the present, and, second, to shed light on how evidence of Catalonia’s ties to the continent’s major political, social, cultural and economic currents has been created, preserved and conveyed in every corner of the land.
Each document is part of a shared narrative. Business contracts, royal letters, ancient maps, photographs, institutional documents, sound and audiovisual recordings, etc., all speak of a land that embraces Europe, an open territory, engaged in a constant dialogue with the ideas and movements of the time. This documentary diversity makes it possible to read history from a multi-faceted and enriching perspective that blends benchmark institutional decisions with the daily rhythms of Catalan society.
The resource is organized around six main thematic areas: institutional system and governance; territory and borders; economic drivers; urban planning and architecture; public services; and social and cultural life. Through these areas, you will be able to understand how Catalonia has participated in and influenced the construction of the European project over the centuries.
This digital space is also an open door onto the region: each document bears the seal of a specific archive – public or private – attesting to the vast wealth of heritage preserved at institutions across the country, from small towns to large cities. At the same time, it is an educational and participatory tool that complements the many activities to be held as part of the International Archives Congress ‘Knowing Pasts, Creating Futures’: exhibitions, talks, workshops, educational resources, videos and cultural activities intended to show the general public all that archives have to offer.
With this initiative, Catalonia is presenting itself as a country of archives, a country that preserves memory in order to understand the past, build the present and look towards the future with a European perspective. We encourage you to browse, discover, share and delight in the more than a thousand documents especially selected for the occasion.
Activities calendar
In the context of the International Archives Congress, Catalan archives have organized a series of outreach activities to be held throughout the year to shine a light on what they do and offer the general public a window onto documents that attest to the importance and significance of Catalonia’s documentary heritage in the construction of Europe.
The Catalonia, Country of Archives: Documents that make Europe calendar features cultural proposals for discovering the archives throughout the year and across the region, including tours, talks, workshops, exhibitions, etc.
Go to calendar
