Archives de Paris

What Archives de Paris does

Archives de Paris is the municipal and departmental archive of Paris, a public cultural institution founded in 1796 as Archives de la Seine and operated under the authority of the Ville de Paris. It is the legally mandated repository under the Code du patrimoine for archives produced by Paris municipal and departmental administrations, state services with Parisian operations, and designated private entities performing public-service missions. The institution operates three physical sites: its purpose-built 1990 headquarters at 18 boulevard Sérurier in the 19th arrondissement (designed by Henri and Bruno Gaudin), a satellite annex in Villemoisson-sur-Orge (Essonne, built 1985), and provisional storage warehouses in Saint-Denis (Seine-Saint-Denis, opened 2018) added in response to capacity saturation. Holdings comprise historical collections from the 16th century to the present, a specialized library of 37,000 volumes and 1,000 serial publications, and over 200 linear meters of school archives collected between 2006 and 2009.

The institution's service portfolio rests on three pillars. First, core archival services: a free physical reading room (open Tuesday–Friday and alternating Saturdays), an online digitized archives portal accessible 24/7 globally under the open Licence Ouverte, a searchable inventory database, a topographical address-based search tool, and a remote research request service. Second, educational and cultural programming: workshops and downloadable teaching resources aligned with French national curricula for Île-de-France primary and secondary schools, virtual exhibitions, regular lecture cycles co-hosted with the Comité d'histoire de la Ville de Paris, La France généalogique, and the Société de l'histoire de Paris et de l'Île-de-France, plus an annual academic seminar with CNRS and Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne. Third, external outreach through document loans to museums and cultural institutions.

The business model is fundamentally non-commercial. Archives de Paris is funded through the Ville de Paris public budget as a government state entity; the vast majority of services (reading-room access, remote research requests, educational programs, cultural events) are free. Revenue consists only of nominal fees: €1 photocopy cards, €0.18 (A4) and €0.35 (A3) per copy, €3 per certified copy, €26/hour for bulk image reproduction exceeding 10,000 images, and modest publication sales. Customer segments are intentionally diverse — genealogists and family historians, academic researchers and students, primary and secondary schools, media and publishing reusers, and public administrations required to transfer archives. The institution has 16 staff, no private shareholders, no funding rounds, no M&A activity, and no patents or trademarks on record.

Name

Archives de Paris

Legal name

Archives de Paris

Website

https://archives.paris.fr

Company type

Private

Founded year

1796

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Archives de Paris is the publicly funded municipal and departmental archive of Paris, operating since 1796. It preserves and provides access to historical documents, serving genealogists, academic researchers, schools, public administrations, and media reusers through its reading room and online portal.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public Archival Services

NAICS

Libraries and Archives (51921), Web Search Portals, Libraries, Archives, and Other Information Services (5192), Libraries and Archives (519210)

akta.pro primary industry

Libraries, Archives & Special Collections (BPAGAHAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

National Archives, Records & Information Governance (BPAIAAAG), Archives, Special Collections & Preservation Operations (Rare Materials, Conservation) (EDAEAGAJ), Cultural Heritage Institutions (Archives, Historic Houses, Monuments Foundations) (THAJADAI)

Keywords

• Municipal archival services
• Digital archive access
• Historical document preservation
• Genealogical research services
• Cultural heritage education

Headquarters

HQ city

Paris

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Public Funding and Subsidies: As a municipal and departmental public archive, Archives de Paris operates primarily through public funding from the Ville de Paris (City of Paris) and operates as a non-profit public service institution
2. Document Reproduction Fees: Nominal fees charged for photocopy cards (1€) plus per-copy charges (0.18€ A4, 0.35€ A3), document certification (3€ per unit), and printing services for digitized archives
3. Massive Reproduction Fees: For reuse requests exceeding 10,000 images, technical processing fees of 26€ per hour of work are charged, plus the provision of external hard drive by requester
4. Publication Sales: Sale of published works including guides, exhibition catalogs, monographs, and historical studies available for purchase by correspondence or on site

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Archives de Paris is a public municipal and departmental archive institution that collects, preserves, classifies, and communicates historical documents concerning Paris and the former Seine department, dating from 1796 to the present. It operates a physical reading room, a digitized online archives portal, an online inventory search system, a topographical research tool, and a remote research request service. It supplements these core archival services with educational workshops for schools, research initiation courses, conferences, virtual exhibitions, and sale of publications.

Product overview

Archives de Paris operates as a combined municipal and departmental archive institution offering both physical and digital access to historical documents concerning Paris and the former Seine department. The core service portfolio comprises three interconnected pillars: (1) core archival services including the reading room, digitized archives portal, online inventory search, and remote research capabilities; (2) educational services encompassing workshops, teaching resources, and research courses; and (3) cultural programming including conferences, virtual exhibitions, and publications. A supplementary advisory service provides guidance on digital archiving for public entities. Key digital products include the archives numérisées portal for online document access, the inventory search database, and the topographical research tool.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Archives numérisées (Digitized Archives) Online portal providing access to digitized historical documents from the Archives de Paris collections, including civil status records, photographs, maps, judicial records, and fiscal archives, available 24/7 globally under open Licence Ouverte.
• Recherche dans les inventaires en ligne (Online Inventory Search) Searchable web-based database of archival inventories and catalogues enabling researchers to locate documents across all collections before visiting in person.
• Salle de lecture (Reading Room) Physical reading room at 18 boulevard Sérurier (19th arrondissement of Paris) where researchers consult original documents, with facilities for ordering documents, photocopying, and photography. Open Tuesday-Friday 9h30-17h30 and alternating Saturdays 9h30-17h.
• Recherche topographique (Topographical Research) Location-based search tool allowing researchers to find archival documents related to specific Paris addresses or neighborhoods.
• État civil reconstitué et parisien (Reconstituted and Parisian Civil Records) Digitized civil status records including births, marriages, and deaths from the 16th century to present, searchable by name, date, and location.
• Recherche à distance (Remote Research) Distance research service allowing users to submit research requests by mail or email, with staff providing document location and copying services for documents not available online.
• Ateliers pédagogiques (Educational Workshops) Workshop programs for primary and secondary school students (CM1 to terminale), using original archival documents to teach historical research skills aligned with national curricula. Sessions on Mondays and Tuesdays.
• Ressources pédagogiques (Educational Resources) Downloadable teaching materials derived from archival collections, linked to national history-geography programs, including themed collections on Paris Commune, WWI, and urban development.
• Cours d'initiation à la recherche (Research Initiation Courses) Structured courses teaching archival research methods, covering topics such as military records, biographical research, and commercial records for Paris.
• Conférences (Conferences) Regular lecture series organized with the Comité d'histoire de la Ville de Paris, France Généalogique, and Société de l'histoire de Paris, covering historical and genealogical topics.
• Expositions virtuelles (Virtual Exhibitions) Online thematic exhibitions showcasing archival documents on topics including Paris Commune, Franco-Prussian War, Palais de Justice, and school history in Paris.
• Publications Published works including source guides, exhibition catalogues, monographs, and historical studies on Paris neighborhoods and arrondissements, available for purchase on site or by correspondence.
• Archivage numérique (Digital Archiving Advisory) Methodological support and guidance for public entities on managing digital archives, electronic document management systems, and digital preservation infrastructure.

Quantifiable outcome

• Free public access to reading room with annual registration
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered minor, core, major and regular.

• Musée de la Toile de Jouy (Jouy-en-Josas)minorOthers · 1 June 2026Archives de Paris lent two 1860 fabric design deposits from Dalsème brothers for exhibition 'Amédée Couder, dessinateur pour étoffes' (June 2026 - January 2027) showcasing textile design history.
• CNRS / Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne (CHS)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Co-organizers of annual seminar 'La région parisienne, territoires et cultures' bringing together archivists from Paris, Seine-Saint-Denis, and Val-de-Marne departments along with Paris Musées for interdisciplinary research presentations.
• FamilySearchmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 November 2017Digitization partnership for genealogical records, approved by Conseil de Paris deliberation of 20-22 November 2017. Documents digitized through this partnership are excluded from general open reuse terms and governed by separate licensing arrangements.
• Comité d'histoire de la Ville de Paris (CHVP)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint organization of annual conference cycles featuring historians, researchers, and writers presenting diverse archival sources. CHVP is the primary institutional partner for cultural programming.
• La France généalogique (CEGF)regularStrategic or Co-development PartnerAssociation organizing genealogical conferences at Archives de Paris, providing specialized expertise in family history research methodology and sources.
• Société de l'histoire de Paris et de l'Île-de-FranceregularStrategic or Co-development PartnerHistorical society organizing regular conferences at Archives de Paris on Parisian and Île-de-France history, contributing to scholarly programming.
• Musée National du Sport (Nice)minorOthersArchives de Paris lent the candidacy dossier for Paris 2024 Olympic Games to the museum's exhibition 'Un été 2024' celebrating Olympic heritage (exhibition from February 2026).

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Archives départementales de Seine-Saint-Denis: Sibling departmental archive for Seine-Saint-Denis, carved out of the former Seine department in 1968. Operates the same mandate under French law for an adjacent Parisian territory and co-participates with Archives de Paris in academic seminars on regional history.
• Archives départementales des Hauts-de-Seine: Another former-Seine departmental archive with identical legal remit, service offerings (reading room, digitization, educational workshops), and overlapping genealogist/academic audiences in the Île-de-France region.
• Archives municipales de Lyon: Major French municipal archive serving France's second-largest city; comparable collection scope (civil status, plans, photographs, administrative archives), digital portal, educational workshops, and public programming model.
• Archives nationales: France's national archives holding the pre-Revolutionary and central-state documents. Direct peer because both operate under the same French archival framework (Code du patrimoine) and serve overlapping researcher populations; Archives de Paris explicitly defers 16th–18th century Parisian records to the Archives nationales.
• Archives départementales du Val-de-Marne: Fourth departmental archive from the 1964 Seine dissolution; comparable scale, services, and audience. Participates jointly with Archives de Paris and CNRS in the regional history seminar series.
• Archives municipales de Marseille: Large municipal archive with digitized holdings, online inventories, and pedagogical offerings analogous to Archives de Paris; comparable audience of genealogists, academics, and the general public.

Regional players

• Archives départementales de l'Essonne: Departmental archive covering Essonne—where the Villemoisson-sur-Orge annex is physically located. Operates a closely analogous service model (reading room, online inventories, educational programs) for a neighboring jurisdiction.
• Archives départementales du Val-d'Oise: Another Île-de-France departmental archive with a similar public-service model, addressing an adjacent Parisian territory and serving overlapping genealogist and academic audiences in the wider region.

Others

• FamilySearch: Genealogy platform operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and an active digitization partner of Archives de Paris since 2017; a key distribution channel rather than a direct competitor.

Broad incumbents

• Bibliothèque nationale de France (BnF): France's national library and a much larger incumbent with overlapping digitization capabilities (Gallica), bibliographic collections, and Parisian cultural-heritage mandate; competes for the same scholarly and general-public mindshare around French documentary heritage.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/archivesdeparis
• Instagraminstagram.com/archivesdeparis
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/archives-de-paris

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Archives de Paris