An excerpt from the Archives' history
The Archdiocese of Katowice, which has existed since 1925, and its clerical institutions have been producing loads of documents for decades. These documents are a source base for studies on Upper Silesia’s history and culture. All the files produced before 1922 were made by Bishop’s Curia in Wroclaw. The Diocesan Archives (Archdiocesan since 1992) in Katowice started in the moment of creating Prince & Bishop’s Office for the Polish part of Upper Silesia by cardinal Adolf Bertram in 1921, and Apostolic Administration for Polish Silesia by the pope Pius XI in 1922.
Dr August Hlond
Dr August Hlond of the Salesian Order became the Apostolic Administrator and he was the first one to take over the files from his jurisdiction area. The official extradition of files necessary for the Administration to operate took place on 19 September 1923. On that day a set of personal priests’ files incardinated under the jurisdiction of Apostolic Administration was taken over from Wroclaw along with 128 parishes’ local files, visitation files, deanery convents’ protocols, dean’s files, 6 deaneries’ salary files, convent and orders’ files, and factual files. Such a rich collection of archival materials was not transferred again until 22 June 1927, which was a consequence of resolutions conveyed by the pope’s bull “Vixidum Poloniae unitas” from 28 October 1925.
Pius XI, nomination bull for Dr August Hlond appointing him the first bishop of the Diocese of Katowice (1925)
Arkople Company’s graphics on creating the diocese of Katowice (Piekary ??l????skie, before 1939)
Organizing the diocese needed creating modern offices and archives for Diocesan Curia. Priest Juliusz Bieniek (1895-1978) started working on this issue in 1925, before becoming a helping bishop for the diocese. All the changes conducted in the offices and the archives were carried out according to the rules obliging in Berlin’s offices at that time. Bishop J.Bieniek (in the picture) sorted all the files and determined a system of signatures which is used in Katowice’s offices up to this day. His system has been adopted by other Polish diocesan curiae as exemplary. Dr Bieniek’s next credit was an idea of creating “a diocesan Archive of Certificate Records” in 1961. This initiative, however, was not executed until 1998-2008.
Just before the beginning of the WW II Diocesan Curia’s authorities decided to protect the most valuable documents and move them from Katowice to a countryside presbytery in Imielin. However, during war operations in 1945 the presbytery was bombed and all the documents were burnt. The only thing left was a record of these documents created between the WW I and II.
The final regulations for the Archdiocesan Archives in Katowice were made on 3 April 1991 when Archbishop Damian Zimon gave them Byelaw & Rules. This was not only a legal act but also a way of living up to our resources users’ expectations.
A list of managers of the (Arch)Diocesan Archives in Katowice:
Priest Dr Jerzy Pawlik 1957-1960
Priest Józef Pawliczek 1973-1977
Priest Franciszek Rajca 1978-1983
Priest proffessor Dr Jerzy Myszor 1983-1989
Priest Henryk Pyka 1989-1991
Dr hab. Halina Dudala 1991-1997 (Diocesan Registrar), 1997-2018 (the managing director)
Dr Wojciech Schäffer 2008-2018 (the Archive's custodian), 2018 - (the managing director)
(Arch)Diocesan Archives in Katowice workers:
Dr Julia Dziwoki – the Archives’ custodian (1993-2008)
Mgr lic. Damian Gruchlik - the Archives' senior custodian (since 2001 - )
Mgr Janusz Grzegorczyk - the Archives' custodian (since 2013 - )
Publications about the Archdiocesan Archives:
* F. Maron, Archiwum Diecezjalne w Katowicach - jego poczatki, dzieje i obecny stan, w: "Slaskie Studia Historyczno - Teologiczne", t. 7 (1974)
* J. Dziwoki, Zródla do dziejów Bogucic w zasobach Archiwum Archidiecezjalnego w Katowicach, w: Parafia Bogucicka. Tradycja i wspólczesnosc, pod red. J.Wycislo, W Swiatkiewicza, Katowice 1994
* J. Dziwoki, H. Kowalczyk, Kancelaria Biskupa Stanislawa Adamskiego w zbiorach Archiwum Archidiecezjalnego w Katowicach, w: "Slaskie Studia Historyczno - Teologiczne", t. 27/28 (1994-1995)
* H. Kowalczyk-Dudala, Spuscizna ks. Emila Szramka w zasobie Archiwum Diecezjalnego w Katowicach, w: Dusza Slaska jest Slazak. Materialy z sesji naukowej zorganizowanej w 50-ta rocznice smierci ks. E. Szramka, pod red. A. Kwiatka, Opole 1992
* H. Dudala, J. Dziwoki, Pracownia - baza danych do kompleksowej obslugi pracowni udostepniania zbiorów, w: Pamietnik III Zjazdu Archiwistów Polskich, Torun 1997
* H. Dudala, J. Dziwoki, Zarzadzanie Archiwum Archidiecezjalnym w Katowicach przy wykorzystaniu relacyjnej bazy danych Access, w: Komputeryzacja archiwów. Problemy struktury zasobu archiwalnego w perspektywie komputeryzacji archiwów, pod red. H. Robótki, Torun 1998
* H. Dudala, Archiwum Archidiecezjalne w Katowicach: dzieje, zasób oraz uzytkownicy, w: Bibliotheca Nostra, nr 3/4 (22), Archiwa i Archiwalia, Katowice 2010
Former headquarters of the Archives
Until May 25, 2022, when Archbishop Wiktor Skworc blessed and solemnly opened the new rooms, the entrance to the Archdiocesan Archives was through the main entrance of the Metropolitan Curia in Katowice.
Turn right at the reception desk behind the door, and then left into the corridor until you reach the end.
The Archdiocesan Archives had two office rooms, a hall where we welcome our guests, store rooms, and a reading room with six working places. You can plug in your laptop at each of them.
A place where we welcome our clients
The Archive’s main hall and a stairway to the reading room
Office // Reading room // Staircase to store rooms
Certificate Records // Collection of Legacies // Local Files // Factual Files