Vincennes
Historical Archives Centre
Operation of the Louis XIV reading room of the SHD of Vincennes :
The reading room at the Vincennes site is open to the public at the following times: Monday: 1pm-5pm / Tuesday to Thursday: 9am-5pm / Friday: 9am-4pm / Saturday: 9.30am-3pm
Documents can be consulted by prior reservation via the website ("my personal space" tab / "all my online procedures" section).
Information for readers: access to the archives of the Service historique de la Défense on the Vincennes site from October 2022.
Remote requests :
Requests for guidance and reproduction of documents must be made exclusively via the dedicated forms. Due to the large number of requests received each month, processing times can reach 6 weeks for orientation requests and 12 weeks for reproduction requests.
The Centre historique des archives is one of the three centres of the Service historique de la Défense. It collects the archives produced by the Ministry of the Armed Forces, except for those of the units of the French Navy, those of the Directorate General of Armaments and those concerning the military and civilian personnel of Defence. It holds more than 120 linear kilometres of documents produced and received since the 17th century by the central administrations of the ministries responsible for military affairs and by the staffs, services and units of the three armies and the national gendarmerie. It ensures the processing and communication to the public of the archival heritage for which it is responsible and contributes to its scientific, cultural and educational development.
Available funds :
> Oral testimonies freely communicable
Adresse géographique
Château de Vincennes
Avenue de Paris
94306 Vincennes Cedex
Horaires
Opening hours of the Louis XIV reading room of the SHD of Vincennes :
Monday from 1pm to 5pm
Tuesday to Thursday from 9am to 5pm
Friday from 9am to 4pm
Saturday from 9.30 am to 3 pm
Request for guidance
Château de Vincennes
Avenue de Paris
94306 Vincennes Cedex
Tasks
The Centre historique des archives is responsible for :
- collecting, preserving, inventorying and communicating the archives of the General Secretariat for Defence and National Security and the Ministry of the Armed Forces, as well as the National Gendarmerie, until 31 December 2008, with the exception of the archives of the General Directorate of Armaments and the individual and collective archives of civilian and military personnel;
- ensuring the scientific and technical control of the current and intermediate archives under its responsibility;
- collecting, preserving, inventorying and communicating archive documents that are assigned or handed over to the Ministry of the Armed Forces, whether in return for payment or free of charge, as well as oral testimonies;
- to respond to research requests, particularly those made by the staffs, directorates and services of the Ministry of Defence and other public administrations;
- receiving and directing the public;
- processing requests for communication and consultation of archives. To proceed in this framework to the declassification of the defence archives;
- contributing to the study and development of the funds and collections it holds.
Organisation
|
Practical information
The general operation of the reading room is as follows:
1 / I note the opening hours of the Louis XIV reading room:
- Monday: 1pm-5pm
- Tuesday to Thursday: 9am-5pm
- Friday: 9am-4pm
- Saturday: 9.30am - 3pm
Sessions for the consultation of iconographic documents in the specialised room are possible by reservation only on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9am to 4pm.
These opening hours allow for the disinfection of equipment and furniture at the end of the consultation sessions.
2 / I prepare my visit to the reading room by reserving in advance the documents I wish to consult:
From now on, all documents held at the SHD in Vincennes must be reserved in advance (including microfilms and documents that could previously be consulted without prior reservation), using the form available on the website, in my personal space (all my online procedures / reserve call numbers). Please allow 8 days between your reservation request and the desired date of the session.
Air purifier in the Vincennes reading room:
To ensure your health safety, the air purifiers in the SHD reading room at the Château de Vincennes are equipped with HEPA13 filters, which comply with the NF EN 1822 standard. The HEPA13 filter - of very high efficiency - is called "ABSOLUTE". It stops 99.95% of the dust present in the air. This dust in suspension as well as the water particles on which viruses attach themselves are sucked up by the machines. This equipment is used in a large number of medical facilities. The filters are changed regularly. The machines are all equipped with potentiometers, so that the air flow can be adjusted according to the number of patients.
The SHD has chosen to guarantee you maximum hygiene and comfort in your research. The four air purifiers that cover the volume of the reading room contribute to the best possible sanitary conditions during your visit to the SHD.
As a reminder:
It is necessary to be registered as a SHD reader to reserve and consult documents in the reading room. If you are not yet registered, please create a personal space and fill in the registration form. A reader's number will be sent to you by message, enabling you to make your reservations. You can then collect your reader's card at the registration desk.
It is important to remember that all documents must be reserved in advance. Please send us your reservations using the form available on the personal area.
A maximum quota of documents per reader is set:
- Archival documents: as from 05/09/22, it will now be possible to reserve up to 10 items per session according to the following distribution: 10 INDIVIDUAL FILES PER SESSION or 5 CARDBOARDS (maximum) and 5 INDIVIDUAL FILES. See for more information.
- Library documents: a quota of 12 documents per reader and per consultation session is fixed.
On site, a 1 euro coin or token is required in order to deposit your belongings not allowed in the reading room in the lockers. The dimensions of the lockers are as follows W 40 x H 60 x D 36 (small lockers) - W 40 x H 130 x D 36 (large lockers). The SHD does not provide tokens or coins.
For more information, please refer to the rules of the Louis XIV reading room.
Microfilmed and digitised documents available in the Louis XIV reading room (SHD Vincennes):
Microfilms are available on reservation. A list of microfilms is attached.
Some archive and library documents are freely accessible on the computer stations provided in the reading room. You will find the list of references below (archives, maps, plans and oral testimonies).
You can also consult the list of documents and information available on the Mémoire des hommes website (https://www.memoiredeshommes.sga.defense.gouv.fr/).
A scientific reception is also available to advise you in your research. Located on the first floor of the King's Pavilion, in the reference room, this reception is open
- Monday from 1pm to 4pm
- Tuesday to Thursday from 9am to 12pm and from 1pm to 4pm
- Friday from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm
- Saturday from 9.30 am to 3 pm.
The Iconographic Archives Division and the Oral Archives Division also welcome researchers by appointment on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9 am to 4 pm.
|
The Private Archives Division can be contacted for any donation proposal. |
Fermetures annuelles
The dates of closure of the Louis XIV reading room for the year 2023 are :
- Friday 23 December 2022 to Monday 2 January 2023 inclusive.
- Monday 10 April (Easter)
- Monday 1 May (Labour Day)
- Monday 8 May (Victory in 1945)
- Thursday 18 May to Saturday 20 May inclusive (Ascension)
- Monday 29 May (Pentecost)
- Thursday 13 July to Saturday 15 July inclusive (Bastille Day)
- Monday 31 July to Tuesday 15 August inclusive (summer closure)
- Saturday 16 September (European Heritage Day)
- Wednesday 1 November (All Saints' Day)
- Saturday 11 November (Armistice Day 1918)
- From Saturday 23 December to Monday 1 January 2024 inclusive (year-end closure).
Accès
Metro: line 1, "Château de Vincennes" station.
RER: line A, "Vincennes" station.
Buses: lines 46, 56, 112, 114, 115, 118, 124, 210, 215, 318, 325.
Vélib station: cours des Maréchaux (n° 12123).
Organisation du site de Vincennes
Le Centre des archives de Vincennes est composé de trois départements qui concourent à assurer, pour leurs périmètres respectifs, la bonne gestion du cycle de vie des archives :
- Le département des archives contemporaines
- Le département des archives anciennes et privées
- Le département des services aux usagers
Au-delà du centre des archives des Vincennes, le château abrite la direction du Service historique de la Défense et les entités qui lui sont rattachées.
En fait partie le département Histoire et Patrimoines qui comprend :
- Le bureau de la Bibliothèque
- Le bureau de la Symbolique et des traditions militaires :
- La section Témoignages et archives orales
- Le bureau Histoire militaire :
Enfin, est également rattaché à la direction du Service historique de la Défense, le département des Archives, composé du :
- Bureau du pilotage et de la coordination des centres
- Bureau de la conservation, de la restauration et de la régie des espaces de conservation
- Bureau de la transformation numérique
- Bureau des publics et de la politique culturelle
Les fonds présents au Centre des archives de Vincennes
Les fonds publics :
Les archives de la Guerre et de l’armée de Terre regroupent les documents :
- Du ministère de la Guerre, des unités et de l’état-major de l’armée de Terre, produits et reçus, du XVIIe siècle à 1940 ;
- Des hautes instances d’organismes interarmées ou interministériels de la fin du XIXe siècle à la Seconde Guerre mondiale.
Les archives contemporaines de la Défense rassemblent les documents :
- Des organismes militaires, produits et reçus, de juin 1940 à la fin de la Seconde Guerre mondiale ;
- Du Secrétariat général de la Défense et de la Sécurité nationale ;
- Du cabinet du ministre des Armées, de son secrétariat d’État et des organismes rattachés ;
- De l’état-major des Armées et des organismes interarmées ;
- De l’administration militaire d’outre-mer (depuis 1940).
Les archives centrales de la Marine conservent :
- Les documents produits ou reçus par le ministère de la Marine, le secrétariat d’État, l’état-major de la Marine, les directions et services centraux et les attachés navals ;
- Les archives produites par les unités à terre et en mer durant les conflits du XXe siècle ;
- Les dossiers individuels des officiers de Marine et corps assimilés dont les plus anciens remontent au milieu du XVIIIe siècle.
Les archives de l’armée de l’Air émanent du ministère de l’Air, de l’état-major, de l’administration centrale, des services, des bases aériennes et des unités de l’armée de l’Air. Même si les fonds qui y sont conservés remontent au début du XXe siècle, ils ne prennent toute leur cohérence qu’à partir de 1945.
Les archives de la Gendarmerie nationale, en raison d’importantes destructions, ne remontent qu’à la seconde moitié du XIXe siècle et les fonds ne prennent toute leur dimension qu’après 1940. Toutefois, de nombreux documents antérieurs sont conservés dans les fonds de l’armée de Terre, aux Archives nationales ou encore dans les différents services d’archives départementales. Les archives territoriales de la Gendarmerie nationales sont désormais conservées dans le Centre des archives de Châtellerault, le Centre des archives de Vincennes conservant principalement les archives de l’administration centrale de la Gendarmerie nationale, des prévôtés et les archives de la gendarmerie en Algérie.
Les fonds privés :
Les archives privées, entrées au SHD par des voies juridiques très diverses (achats, dations, dons, legs…), couvrent l’ensemble des périodes historiques depuis le XVIIe siècle. Ces fonds renferment aussi bien des témoignages (correspondances, mémoires, récits, carnets de guerre…), que des papiers publics entrés par voie extraordinaire (correspondances, notes, rapports…) ou des documents atypiques, comme des dessins ou des photographies.
Le bureau des archives privées et iconographiques (BAPI) peut être sollicitée pour toute proposition de don : shd-vincennes-dap.contact.fct@intradef.gouv.fr.
Les fonds iconographiques et cartographiques :
Héritier des dépôts fondés sous Louis XIV, le SHD compte des documents figurés dans ses collections et s’emploie à les enrichir : dessins, aquarelles, peintures à l’huile des ingénieurs hydrographes du Dépôt de la Guerre, estampes, photographies, etc. Aussi, le Centre des archives de Vincennes conserve plus d’un million de photographies, qu’il s’agisse de plaques de verre, de films et de tirages argentiques ou de cartes postales. Ces fonds proviennent des anciens services historiques, d’entrées par voie extraordinaire ou encore du secrétariat d’état aux anciens combattants.
Le SHD conserve plus de 100 000 cartes, datant pour les plus anciennes, du XVIe siècle. Pour une grande partie, elles proviennent d’institutions créées sous le règne de Louis XIV, comme le Dépôt de la Guerre, le dépôt des fortifications ou celui des Cartes et plans.
Pour commencer vos recherches
Faire une recherche dans nos inventaires
Consulter nos guides d’Aide à la recherche
Faire une recherche dans nos collections de bibliothèque sur Clade
Consulter nos collections numérisées sur Mémoire des Hommes
Last modification on 11/05/2023
