The Archives

Please note:  On 20 October 2010, the extensive move of The Lobkowicz Archives, previously deposited within the State Regional Archive in the Litomerice-Zitenice Facility, was completed. The Archives is now administrated by Lobkowicz Collections o.p.s.

We regret to inform you that The Archives is temporarily closed to all reproduction and study requests, due to further inventory work and other procedures that must follow the relocation process. We apologize for any inconvenience this situation may have on your research projects, and we thank you for your kind patience and understanding.

Please continue to check this website for more information about the re-opening of The Archives to students and scholars. 

The Lobkowicz Archives is one of the richest and most important in Central Europe, occupying approximately 1.5 kilometers of shelf-space. Its size and importance are comparable to the Thurn und Taxis family archives in Germany. Due to the Lobkowiczes' historic, diplomatic and cultural roles through the centuries, The Archives represents a treasure trove of European history.

The tens of thousands of boxes in The Archives hold original manuscripts and documents dating from the 14th through the 20th centuries, each of which is a potential window to the past. There is diplomatic and political correspondence between family members and heads of state, including Rudolf II, Maria Theresa, Napoleon, and the rulers of Spain, France, Denmark, Prussia, Sweden, and England. There are also letters from Goethe and autograph correspondence from Beethoven. The potential for scholarly research and historical discovery is enormous.