Schools

The Pla de l’Estany Regional Archive (ACPE) is located in the cloister of the Sant Esteve monastery in Banyoles. It became operational in 2007 thanks to the agreement signed between the Catalan Goverment (Generalitat de Catalunya), the Pla de l’Estany Regional Council and the Banyoles City Council. It has the dual function of Pla de l’Estany Regional Archive and Banyoles Municipal Archive.

It has three types of spaces: the one intended for the public, with a consultation room and a multipurpose room; the work room, for archivists, and the documentation custody room, which corresponds to two deposits with a capacity for 5,500 linear meters, one for photographic collections and the other for large-format documents —parchments and plans.

It houses a rich variety of documentary heritage that illustrates the society, economy and history of the region. We highlight the collection of the Banyoles Town Hall (1244-2017); that of the company José Gimferrer SA, manufacturer of jute bags (1914-1989); that of the farmhouse of Can Mariscot de Camós (1214-1941), and the collection of photographs by Lluís Martí (1880-2012). The collection of Carles Fontserè (1910-2016), poster artist, photographer, illustrator, set designer and writer, deserves a separate chapter. A recognized poster artist during the Civil War, Fontserè had to go into exile first in Paris and then in New York, but ended up returning to Catalonia, specifically in Porqueres, where he lived the last 34 years of his life.

The Pallars Sobirà Regional Archive (ACPS) was created by the agreement signed by the Sort City Council, the Pallars Sobirà Regional Council and the Department of Culture of the Catalan Goverment (Generalitat de Catalunya) on 27 July 1992 and was inaugurated on 28 April 1995 by the Honorable Minister of Culture, Joan Guitart i Agell. It is part of the Regional Archives Network of the Generalitat de Catalunya, is attached to the Department of Culture and Media and is managed by the Pallars Sobirà Regional Council.

The ACPS safeguards the funds of most of the town councils in the region, the funds of the Pallars Sobirà Regional Council, the funds of the notary district, the Mortgage Registry, various patrimonial and personal funds and has a microfilm copy of the Pallars, Vilamur and Catalonia General funds of the Archivo Ducal de Medinaceli.

The Pallars Jussà Regional Archive (ACPJ) was inaugurated on 12 February 2009. It is located in a unique new building designed by architects Joan Arnalot and Elena Belart, and is located on the site of the former Casa Sullà, of a noble lineage from Tremp that dates back to the 15th century, within the old town of Tremp. The building also houses the headquarters of the Pallars Jussà Regional Council.

On 23 December 2009, a collaboration agreement was signed between the Department of Culture and Media, the Pallars Jussà Regional Council and the Tremp City Council for the management of the ACPJ. This agreement and the current archive legislation facilitate the incorporation of the Tremp municipal archive and the archives it held, such as the notarial archives of the Tremp district, the judicial archives, the archives of the municipalities added to Tremp, etc., into the new headquarters of the ACPJ.

This archive holds public and private documentation from the Pallars Jussà region in accordance with the provisions of Law 10/2001, on archives and document management. It also has an important newspaper library of publications from the region and an auxiliary library on historical and archival subjects.

The Osona Regional Archive (ACOS) was created on 6 March 1990, through an agreement signed by the Department of Culture of the Catalan Goverment (Generalitat de Catalunya), the Osona Regional Council and the Vic City Council. On 1 April 1995, the ACOS opened its doors in the old convent of El Carme de Vic, where it shared a building with the Museu de l’Art de la Pell and the Joan Triadú Library.

On 13 September 2006, a new agreement was formalised between the Department of Culture of the Generalitat de Catalunya and the Vic City Council for the financing of a new headquarters. The new building was inaugurated on 17 March 2010.

In accordance with the functions determined by Law 10/2001, on archives and document management, the ACOS safeguards the semi-active documentation of the bodies of the Generalitat de Catalunya, the local and judicial administration of the region.

Of the privately owned funds deposited in this archive, those of the Hospital de la Santa Creu and the various company funds stand out for their historical value and exemplary testimony. However, the characteristic feature of the ACOS is its photographic archive aspect, because it houses numerous personal funds and local collections of historical photography.