STATE ARCHIVE IN OPAVA - STATE DISTRICT ARCHIVE BRUNTÁL WITH SEAT IN KRNOV

The Bruntál District State Archives based in Krnov is an organizational unit of the National Archives in Opava. It supervises the operation of records in organizational units of the state with the jurisdiction of a district or municipality and in authorities of self-governing local authorities, sorts out archival records in the course of cassation or carting in the course of proceedings or outside of proceedings, takes care of archival records in storage and makes them available for inspection, prepares extracts, transcripts and copies of archival records and makes them available.

The district archive in Bruntál was established in 1958, preceded by the establishment of the district archives in Krnov and Rýmařov. The district archive in Krnov was established first in 1952, followed by the district archive in Rýmařov in 1956. In 1960, the districts of Bruntál, Krnov and Rýmařov were merged. The district archive for the new Bruntál district was located in Janovice u Rýmařova [Janowitz]. Branches were left in Krnov and Bruntál.

At the beginning of the 1970s, the archive had to deal with the problem of insufficient storage capacity. All subsequent solutions to this situation were only provisional, the space conditions in the archive remained unsatisfactory and the situation gradually became critical. Meanwhile, in 1982, the headquarters of the District Archives moved from Janovice Castle to Bruntál, where all archival materials were gradually relocated.

The archive finally found a way out of the unsatisfactory situation by renovating a factory of the former Karnola state enterprise in Krnov. In November 2006, the building of the former textile factory officially became the new seat of the District Archives, and all of the archival records from Bruntál were moved to Krnov and, after a long time, were finally stored in a manner befitting their importance.

As of January 1, 2017, the archive manages 1765 archival collections with a total volume of 5381 linear meters. The archive manages documents from state and local government offices and organizations, schools, church institutions, guilds, companies, cooperatives, associations, social organizations, etc. operating in the Bruntál region. The archive library, which contains more than 20 thousand volumes and a large number of periodicals, specializes in regional history, archives and Czech history. The archive is constantly expanding its professional archival activities as well as the possibilities of using archival materials.

Basic features of the holdings on the history of the Liechtenstein family
Krnov, the current seat of the Bruntál District Archives, was once part of the Liechtenstein estate. It was founded around the middle of the 13th century as a royal town and, together with the nearby Cvilín Castle, came into the possession of the Přemyslids of Troppau-Ratibor. After the principality of Jägerndorf was acquired by the Hohenzollerns in 1523, Krnov became one of their seats, which was reflected in its significant upswing. In March 1622, the Emperor granted the Principality of Jägerndorf to Charles I of Liechtenstein as a fief. Krnov lost its function as a residential town and subsequently the principalities of Troppau and Jägerndorf were also centralized. The importance of the Jägerndorf region also declined thereafter, when the area on the left bank of the Opava River and the entire region around Głubczyce [Hlubčicko in Czech] were separated from it in 1742. However, the administration of the Liechtenstein Princely Chamber continued to be housed in Jägerndorf Castle and at the end of the 18th century, Krnov also became the seat of the newly established Troppau District for a few years. In the middle of the 19th century, Krnov and the surrounding area became a political district within Austrian Silesia, and Krnov itself became an important center of the textile industry. In 1960, the Krnov district was abolished and its territory was incorporated into the Bruntál district.

As on their other estates, the Liechtensteins also proved to be generous donors in Krnov: Prince Johann II. For example, Prince Johann II sponsored the renovation of the burnt-down pilgrimage church at Lobenstein/Cvilín (1865), the construction of the shooting gallery [Střelecký dům] (1907) as well as a hospital (1907), which bore his name until 1918.He donated land to the town for the construction of Mikulášská Street (1904) and a grammar school (1875) and financed the construction of an observation tower - the so-called Liechtensteinwarte (1902). In 1945, Jägerndorf Castle and other properties were confiscated from the Liechtenstein family, but the coat of arms of the Principality of Jägerndorf still forms part of the coat of arms of the Princely House of Liechtenstein and the national coat of arms of Liechtenstein.

Among the archival fonds managed by the District Archives in Bruntál, the well-preserved Archiv města Krnov [Archive of the Town of Jägerndorf] (1410)1437-1945, which documents the administration of this town, is of particular importance with regard to the history of the House of Liechtenstein. The fund also includes a series of town books, the oldest of which was kept from 1522. Evidence of the relationship of the Liechtensteins to their property in the area in question can also be found in the political administration and court administration funds, such as the Okresní úřad Krnov [District Office of Jägerndorf] fund (1726)1850-1938(1954). As an aside, research on the Liechtenstein family can also draw on other fonds relating to their assets at the time, such as the Archiv města Horní Benešov [Archive of the Town of Benešov] 1662-1945 or Archiv města Moravský Beroun [Archives of the City of Beroun] 1568-1945(1946), but also the funds of the district and local national committees, which contain partial information on the confiscation of Liechtenstein assets after 1945.