Civil Archives Libraries and Museums of Saxony

for Genealogy and Family History

2 June 2001

Overview

The free state of Saxony is administered from its capital of Dresden, where many of the state archives and libraries are to be found. However there are several branches located in other cities and towns, often with special regional or topical collections. These usually house records relating to the workings of the state government, such as city directories, court records, newspapers, census returns, wills, military records, police registers and land ownership.

Within the state there are a number of counties, including cities towns and villages. Each county has its own administration, archives and libraries. These usually house records relating to the workings of the county government, such as address books, apprentice lists, census returns, city chronicles or year books, directories, citizen lists, court records, emigration lists, family books, family registers, funeral sermons, grave registers, guild books, land ownership, rate books, lineage books, newspapers, police registers, parish registers, probate records, tax records and wills. An exhaustive list of these cities is appended below with their archives, libraries and museums. Some counties have similar names, but they are administered separately with separate archives and libraries. A list of county archives, libraries and museums has been included later on this page, and any not mentioned can usually be contacted at an address after this format:

Kreisarchiv County Name
D-Postcode Administrative Centre
Deutschland

There are 112 towns and villages having more than 5000 inhabitants in Saxony. Each has their own municipal administration, archives and libraries. These usually house records similar to those of the counties, but of a more local and haphazard nature. A list of local archives, libraries and museums has also been included later on this page, and any not mentioned can usually be contacted at an address after this format:

Stadtarchiv Town Name
D-Postcode Town
Deutschland

There are also archives associated with the local churches, universities, colleges, academies, high schools and specialist institutions.

Traditional Civil Counties

Traditionally there were 6 self-governing cities, and 48 rural counties (Landkriese). The home county of a city had the same name as the city, which was confusing. These cities were Chemnitz, Dresden, Görlitz, Leipzig, Plauen and Zwickau. These rural counties were (1) Annaberg, (2) Aue, (3) Auerbach, (4) Bautzen, (5) Bischofswerda, (6) Borna, (7) Brand-Erbisdorf, (8) Chemnitz county, (9) Delitzsch, (10) Dippoldiswalde, (11) Döbeln, (12) Dresden county, (13) Eilenburg, (14) Flöha, (15) Freiberg, (16) Freital, (17) Geithain, (18) Glauchau, (19) Görlitz county, (20) Grimma, (21) Großenhain, (22) Hainichen, (23) Hohenstein-Ernstthal, (24) Hoyerswerda, (25) Kamenz, (26) Klingenthal (aka Obervogtland), (27) Leipzig county, (28) Löbau, (29) Marienberg, (30) Meißen, (31) Niesky, (32) Oelsnitz (aka Obervogtland), (33) Oschatz, (34) Pirna, (35) Plauen county, (36) Reichenbach, (37) Riesa, (38) Rochlitz, (39) Schwarzenberg, (40) Sebnitz, (41) Stollberg, (42) Torgau, (43) Weißwasser, (44) Werdau, (45) Wurzen, (46) Zittau, (47) Zschopau and (48) Zwickau county.

Map of the Traditional Civil Counties of Saxony

Modern Civil Counties

Recently the state was reorganised which presumably should affect the location of the county archives. There are now thirty-two counties in three prefectures (ie. Regierungsbezirk) centred around Leipzig, Chemnitz and Dresden. The Prefecture of Leipzig approximately consists of the traditional counties of Borna, Delitzsch, Döbeln, Eilenburg, Geithain, Grimma, Leipzig, Oschatz, Torgau and Wurzen. Likewise the Prefecture of Dresden approximately consists of the traditional counties of Bautzen, Bischofswerda, Dippoldiswalde, Dresden, Freital, Görlitz, Großenhain, Hoyerswerda, Kamenz, Löbau, Meißen, Niesky, Pirna, Riesa, Sebnitz, Weißwasser and Zittau. Also the Prefecture of Chemnitz approximately consists of the traditional counties of Annaberg, Aue, Brand-Erbisdorf, Chemnitz, Flöha, Freiberg, Glauchau, Hainichen, Hohenstein-Ernstthal, Klingenthal (aka Obervogtland), Marienberg, Oelsnitz (aka Obervogtland), Plauen, Reichenbach, Rochlitz, Schwarzenberg, Stollberg, Werdau, Zschopau and Zwickau.

Map of the Modern Counties of Saxony

List of Archives, Libraries, Museums and Publishers

Saxon Genealogy
Copyright: ©1999-2001 Jon Kehrer, Canberra