Westfries Archief

What Westfries Archief does

Westfries Archief is a regional government archive structured as a 'gemeenschappelijke regeling' (statutory shared arrangement) established by seven Westfriese municipalities — Drechterland, Enkhuizen, Hoorn, Koggenland, Medemblik, Opmeer, and Stede Broec — and operating from a headquarters in Hoorn, Netherlands. Under the Dutch Archiefwet (Archive Act), the institution is the mandated custodian of municipal, notarial, civil registry (DTB), population register, building permit, photographic, cartographic, and newspaper collections for eastern Westfriesland, with holdings dating to the 16th century. It serves four primary user segments: genealogists and family historians, professional and amateur historians, property owners researching building history, and secondary school students.

The core technical offering is a unified digital collection platform (westfriesarchief.nl) that exposes searchable databases — the main archive collection, a Beeldbank of images, a Personen (persons) database, a Genealogische Bronnen module, a Vergunningen building permits database with interactive map, a Bibliotheek of local publications, and a historical newspaper archive (Krantenarchief). In October 2025 the archive launched a pilot for local (on-premise) AI tooling that processes scans, transcripts, and metadata to propose document recognition, summaries, classification, and descriptions, with archivists retaining quality control. A VeleHanden crowdsourcing channel supplements digitization by indexing genealogical records through volunteers.

The business model is overwhelmingly publicly funded through recurring municipal contributions to execute the Archiefwet mandate. Secondary revenue is generated by course fees for paleography, genealogy, and archive research training; book and publication sales through a webshop (titles priced €10-€39.90); and a 'Vrienden' membership program offering discounted course fees. Public access to the reading room and basic research services is provided free of charge. Distribution is omnichannel: physical reading room, website, social media (Instagram, Facebook), newsletter, exhibitions, educational programs, and the Geschiedenislokaal Westfriesland educational platform.

Name

Westfries Archief

Legal name

Westfries Archief

Website

https://westfriesarchief.nl

Company type

Private

Founded year

1974

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Westfries Archief is a publicly funded regional Dutch archive, jointly run by seven Westfriese municipalities, that preserves and provides digital access to historical, genealogical, notarial, and building records for eastern Westfriesland and serves genealogists, historians, homeowners, and students.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Regional Historical Archive Services

NAICS

Libraries and Archives (51921), Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions (712), Museums (712110)

SIC

Books: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2731)

akta.pro primary industry

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

akta.pro secondary industries

Public Libraries & Information Services (BPAIACAO), Cultural Heritage Institutions (Archives, Historic Houses, Monuments Foundations) (THAJADAI)

Keywords

• Regional archive management
• Historical records digitization
• Genealogical research services
• Heritage preservation access
• Municipal archive services

Headquarters

HQ city

Hoorn

HQ country

Netherlands

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Municipal/government funding: As a shared arrangement (gemeenschappelijke regeling) established by seven Westfriese municipalities (Drechterland, Enkhuizen, Hoorn, Koggenland, Medemblik, Opmeer, Stede Broec), the primary funding comes from municipal government contributions for executing the Archiefwet (Archive Act).
2. Course fees: Fees charged for educational programs including genealogy courses, paleography courses, and archive research training sessions.
3. Book and publication sales: Sale of published books on Westfriesland history through the webshop, including titles on architecture, regional history, and watermills.
4. Membership (Vrienden): Friends membership program supporting the archive with benefits such as discounted course fees.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Westfries Archief manages, digitizes, and provides public access to regional historical archives for eastern Westfriesland, holding municipal, notarial, civil registry, DTB, building permit, photographic, and newspaper records dating back to the 16th century. It offers an online searchable collection portal, a study room in Hoorn, educational courses (genealogy, paleography, house research), physical and digital exhibitions, a webshop selling regional history publications, and Open Overheid (WOO) information services for the seven participating municipalities.

Product overview

Westfries Archief is a regional government archive (shared arrangement of seven municipalities) offering a unified digital platform for accessing historical records from eastern Westfriesland. The core offering consists of searchable online databases: the main Archive Collection (archieven) with municipal and private archives, the Beeldbank (image bank) for visual materials, Genealogische Bronnen (genealogical sources) with indexed DTB and civil registry records, a Personen (persons) database for genealogical searches, a Vergunningen (permits) database with building records, a Bibliotheek (library) of local publications, and Krantenarchief (newspaper archive). Supporting services include a Webshop for books and course enrollments (Cursussen covering genealogy, paleography, and house research), Educatie programs for schools, Tentoonstellingen (exhibitions) both physical and digital, Verhalen (published historical narratives), Mijn Studiezaal personal research environment, Open Overheid/WOO public information services, Innovatie initiatives including local AI experimentation, the interactive Westfriese Kaart geographic map, and the VeleHanden crowdsourced transcription volunteer project. The digital archive platform is supplemented by on-site services including study room access, guided tours, and lectures.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Online Archive Collection Searchable digital collection of municipal, notarial, civil registry, DTB, population register, image, map, building permit, library, and newspaper records for the Westfriesland region, freely accessible to the public.
• Educational Courses Paid educational courses covering genealogy research, paleography (reading old Dutch scripts), house/property history research, and archive research skills, taught at the archive location in Hoorn for individuals and hobbyists.
• Educational Programs for Schools Curriculum-aligned educational programs for schools, including source-research visits, teacher resources, student materials, and the Geschiedenislokaal Westfriesland online history education platform.
• Exhibitions (Tentoonstellingen) Physical and digital exhibitions on regional history themes including house research, watermills, VOC history, regional heritage, the Westfries Genootschap centenary, the Zuiderzee Support Act centenary, and the Valentijn family/slavery history exhibition.
• Webshop (Books and Publications) Online store selling published books on Westfriesland history (regional architecture, printing history, watermills, etc.) and enabling course enrollment, with prices ranging from €10 to €39.90 per title.
• Open Overheid / WOO Information Services Wet Open Overheid (WOO) compliance and publication services that provide open government information from the seven Westfriesland municipalities, including building permits (bouwvergunningen) and environmental permits (omgevingsvergunningen).

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 75% of building permits digitized and accessible online
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability5 records

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• OSG West-FrieslandminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSecondary school whose students conduct source-based history research assignments at the archive as part of their curriculum. Best student stories are published on the archive website.
• Nederlandse Genealogische Vereniging (NGV), afdeling Noord-Holland NoordcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Dutch Genealogical Society, North Holland North section, organizes the Stamboomcafé (genealogy cafe) and beginners genealogy course at the archive. Key educational partner for genealogical research.
• Stichting Vrienden van het Westfries ArchiefcoreOthersFriends foundation that supports the archive financially and organizationally. Manages membership program with benefits including discounted course fees. Also organized lectures such as on Keti Koti/slavery history.
• Historische verenigingen (Historical societies)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with regional historical societies for historical research and heritage preservation in Westfriesland.
• Westfries GenootschapminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional society founded in 1924 (originally Historisch Genootschap Oud West-Friesland) dedicated to preserving Westfriesland culture and history. Its association archive is held at the Westfries Archief.
• Stadhuis EnkhuizenminorOthersCity hall in Enkhuizen hosted the 300 jaar Valentijn exhibition about the family history connected to slavery, later moved to the archive.
• Gemeenten (Drechterland, Enkhuizen, Hoorn, Koggenland, Medemblik, Opmeer, Stede Broec)coreOthersSeven municipalities that established the shared arrangement (gemeenschappelijke regeling) and fund the archive. The archive manages their archives as part of its public mandate under the Archiefwet.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Gelders Archief: Regional archive for Gelderland province with similar municipal arrangement governance. Offers comparable services including digitized genealogical sources, building permits, image bank, and educational courses — a direct functional analogue in a different region.
• Brabants Historisch Informatie Centrum (BHIC): Historical information center for North Brabant jointly operated by regional municipalities and province. Delivers digitized collections, building permits, genealogical search, education, and exhibitions under a comparable multi-municipality governance model.
• Stadsarchief Amsterdam: Municipal archive of Amsterdam managing civil registry, notarial, building permits, and image collections. Comparable core offerings (genealogical sources, building permits database, digital collection portal) at significantly larger scale within a single municipality.
• Erfgoed Leiden en omstreken: Regional heritage organization for Leiden and surroundings combining archive, library, and museum functions. Operates comparable digital collection access, genealogical resources, and education programs serving a regional catchment.
• Stadsarchief Rotterdam: Rotterdam's municipal archive managing comparable holdings (civil registry, notarial archives, building permits, photographs) with online access platforms and genealogical search tools analogous to Westfries Archief's Personen database.
• Het Utrechts Archief: Regional archive for Utrecht region operating under a comparable 'gemeenschappelijke regeling' structure. Provides digitized collections, building permits, genealogical databases, and education programs structurally similar to Westfries Archief's offering.
• Regionaal Archief Tilburg: Regional archive for the Midden-Brabant area managing comparable municipal, civil, and notarial records with digital access platforms. Operates at similar scale to Westfries Archief and serves as a useful comparable for budget and digitization benchmarks.
• Noord-Hollands Archief: Regional archive serving the province of North Holland (excluding Amsterdam). Operates under a similar municipal-funded shared arrangement model, manages comparable municipal and notarial archives, and runs educational programs and digital collection access — the closest geographic and functional peer to Westfries Archief.
• Regionaal Historisch Centrum Limburg (RHCL): Combined regional archive and heritage center for Limburg province providing municipal records, civil registry, notarial archives, and genealogical databases — a structural and functional peer to Westfries Archief in a different Dutch province.

Broad incumbents

• Nationaal Archief: The Netherlands' national archive headquartered in The Hague, providing broader policy direction, e-depot standards, and aggregated access to regional holdings. Sets the regulatory and technical framework within which regional archives like Westfries Archief operate.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/WestfriesArchief
• Instagraminstagram.com/westfriesarchief
• Xx.com/blauweberg
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/westfries-archief

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 Westfries Archief