Regionaal Archief Dordrecht

What Regionaal Archief Dordrecht does

Regionaal Archief Dordrecht is a publicly funded Dutch regional archive institution that preserves, manages, and provides access to the historical records of Dordrecht and more than fifteen surrounding municipalities. Its mandate covers the full archival lifecycle of municipal, civil, notarial, and private collections, and its holdings include a newspaper collection dating back to 1789 — among the oldest in the region — alongside approximately 200,000 images in its digital beeldbank. Core digital products include a searchable online catalogue, the beeldbank image database, and integration with the Mijn Studiezaal platform on archieven.nl, which aggregates records from Dutch heritage institutions into a single research interface for genealogists, academics, municipal staff, journalists, and the general public.

The business model is non-commercial and subsidy-driven: the archive is funded primarily through municipal government allocations and operates without a transactional pricing model. End-users access the catalogue and visit the reading room largely free of charge, while revenue-equivalents come in the form of grants and project-specific subsidies for thematic initiatives such as the Dordts Indisch Verhalenarchief. Distribution is bilateral: physical access through the Dordrecht reading room and digital access via the website (regionaalarchiefdordrecht.nl), with parallel engagement channels including 2026 writing and photography competitions and a coordinated cultural cluster partnership with Hof van Nederland, Huis Van Gijn, and Dordrechts Museum. The institution employs approximately 7 staff and operates with the structural characteristics of a small municipal cultural body rather than a growth-stage enterprise.

Name

Regionaal Archief Dordrecht

Legal name

Regionaal Archief Dordrecht

Website

https://regionaalarchiefdordrecht.nl

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Regionaal Archief Dordrecht is a publicly funded Dutch regional archive that preserves and provides access to historical records of Dordrecht and over 15 surrounding municipalities, operating a searchable digital catalogue and beeldbank for researchers and the public.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Archival and Cultural Heritage Services

NAICS

Libraries and Archives (519210), Libraries and Archives (51921)

akta.pro primary industry

Archives, Special Collections & Preservation Operations (Rare Materials, Conservation) (EDAEAGAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Special Libraries (Law, Medical, Corporate, Government) Operations (EDAEAGAD), Libraries, Archives & Special Collections (BPAGAHAF)

Keywords

• Archival services
• Historical records
• Genealogical research
• Digital archives
• Cultural heritage

Headquarters

HQ city

Dordrecht

HQ country

Netherlands

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Public Funding: As a municipal/regional archive institution, Regionaal Archief Dordrecht operates primarily through government funding from the municipality of Dordrecht and potentially provincial or national cultural funding bodies.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Regionaal Archief Dordrecht is a regional municipal archive that preserves and provides access to historical records, genealogical documents, newspapers, building permits, photographs, and audiovisual materials for Dordrecht and approximately 15 surrounding municipalities. The archive offers both physical access through a reading room (studiezaal) and digital access through its searchable archive interface, online image bank (Beeldbank) of 200,000+ historical images, digitized newspaper collection, and personal research platform (Mijn Studiezaal).

Product overview

Regionaal Archief Dordrecht operates as a regional municipal archive offering a unified digital platform for accessing historical collections. The core product consists of a searchable archive interface (Zoeken in de archieven) integrated with specialized sub-products including the Beeldbank (200,000+ historical images), Krantencollectie (digitized newspapers dating to 1789), Familiegeschiedenis (genealogy tools), Filmcollectie (films and fragments), Bibliotheek (library catalog), and Bouwvergunningen (building permits). The platform also features Dordtse bronnen (themed collections like the Indisch Verhalenarchief and biographical dictionary) and Mijn Studiezaal (personal research workspace). Users can access materials online or in the physical Studiezaal. The archive covers Dordrecht and surrounding regional municipalities, preserving documents from 1600 onwards including notarial records, judicial archives, and transport registers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Zoeken in de archieven (Archive Search) Primary search interface allowing users to search through the archive's collections including documents, records, and historical materials for genealogical and historical research.
• Beeldbank (Image Bank) Digital image database containing approximately 200,000 historical photographs and visual materials of Dordrecht and the surrounding region that users can search and browse.
• Krantencollectie (Newspaper Collection) Digitized collection of Dordrecht and regional newspapers including De Dordrechtsche Courant (from 1789), De Dordtenaar, and other historical publications, fully searchable by text.
• Familiegeschiedenis (Family History/Genealogy) Genealogy research tools and records including civil registry documents, population registers, DTB (baptism, marriage, burial) books, and genealogical indexes for tracing family histories.
• Filmcollectie (Film Collection) Collection of films and film fragments documenting Dordrecht's history and regional heritage.
• Bibliotheek (Library Catalog) Library catalog containing books and publications related to Dordrecht and regional history, searchable by keyword, author, and title.
• Bouwvergunningen (Building Permits) Database of building permits and construction records for Dordrecht (up to 1990) and regional municipalities, including architectural drawings and applications for property history research.
• Dordtse bronnen (Dordrecht Sources) Collection of themed Dordrecht sources including Dordts Indisch Verhalenarchief (Dutch East Indies stories), Dordts Biografisch Woordenboek (biographical dictionary), historical maps, and educational materials.
• Mijn Studiezaal (My Research Room) Personal research platform allowing registered users to organize research projects, take notes, request archive materials, ask questions to staff, and interact with other researchers.
• Studiezaal (Reading Room Service) Physical reading room service where researchers can access original documents, digital collections, and receive assistance from archive staff for in-person research.

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Historisch Documentatie- en Kenniscentrum AugustijnenhofcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 24 October 2026Strategic partner for the 2026 writing competition (Schrijfwedstrijd). Provides prize package worth EUR 400 and serves as the jury chair (Jan Willem Boezeman) for the Body & Spirit themed competition. Located in Dordrecht.
• Fit20 DordrechtminorOthers · 24 October 2026Local fitness studio providing 6 months of free guided sports training as prize for the adult category winner of the 2026 photography competition.
• Hof van NederlandcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNearby cultural attraction and historical venue that is mentioned as a direct location connection for visitors to the Dordrecht area cultural institutions cluster.
• Huis Van GijncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner museum and historical house in Dordrecht, part of the local cultural institutions cluster serving visitors interested in regional history.
• Dordrechts MuseumcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrincipal museum of Dordrecht and administrative hub for the archive. The museum serves as the contact point for the archive's email communications ([email protected]) and manages accessibility statements for the cultural cluster.
• Maand van de Geschiedenis (Month of History)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational history month initiative that the Regionaal Archief Dordrecht participates in, organizing the annual writing competition as part of this national event.
• Digimaxx DordrechtminorOthersLocal photography/digital services company providing gift vouchers worth EUR 25 as prizes for the photography competition winners.
• Omgevingsdienst Zuid-Holland ZuidcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRegional environmental service agency that holds building permits from 1990 onwards for the municipality of Dordrecht. The archive refers researchers to this body for post-1990 building permit requests.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Brabants Historisch Informatie Centrum (BHIC): Historical information center for North Brabant, providing regional archive, genealogical, and image services across multiple municipalities — directly comparable in regional scope and hybrid service delivery.
• Het Drentse Archief: Provincial archive of Drenthe offering studiezaal access, genealogical records, and image bank across multiple municipalities — analogous regional archival institution in scale and scope.
• Gelders Archief: Regional archive for Gelderland providing archival, genealogical, and image bank services to multiple municipalities — a strong functional analogue for the Dordrecht region's coverage of 15+ municipalities.
• Zeeuws Archief: Provincial archive of Zeeland operating a studiezaal, digitized records, and image collections for multiple municipalities in a regional setup directly comparable to Dordrecht's.
• Utrechts Archief: Regional archive for Utrecht providing studiezaal access, digitized collections, and genealogical research tools to a similar municipal constituency — operates the same hybrid digital/physical model.
• Regionaal Archief Leiden: Regional archive covering Leiden and surrounding municipalities, offering comparable digitized historical records, image bank, and family history resources to a similar-sized Dutch region.
• Stadsarchief Amsterdam: Municipal archive of Amsterdam operating a studiezaal, digitized collections, and a beeldbank — structurally identical to Regionaal Archief Dordrecht at a larger scale, serving as the closest functional peer.
• Stadsarchief Rotterdam: Rotterdam's municipal archive offering physical and online access to historical records, newspapers, and genealogical materials — directly comparable in service model and audience to the Dordrecht archive.
• Noord-Hollands Archief: Provincial archive for North Holland combining municipal records, notarial archives, and genealogical collections with studiezaal and online access — directly comparable service scope.

Broad incumbents

• Nationaal Archief: The Netherlands' national archive, overseeing national records and providing the archieven.nl aggregator platform that Regionaal Archief Dordrecht integrates with — a broader incumbent in the same archival domain.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/regionaalarchiefdordrecht
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/regionaalarchiefdordrecht

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 Regionaal Archief Dordrecht