There are 15 state archives in Latvia, out of which 11 are regional state archives. They contain documents from the 13th century to the present day.

By some quirk of fate the numerous wars that have torn across Latvia have left the archives untouched. To a degree we have to thank the communist nationalisation campaigns of 1918 and 1940 when documents from archives of manors, castles and towns were not destroyed because evidence of counter-revolutionary activities was needed. That's why in 1919, when the State Historical Archive was founded, it was possible to assemble pretty much all documents pertaining to anybody who had ever left any trace of their existence and activities in Latvia.

Among them: The Archbishop of Riga, the College of the Dome Church, the Order of Livonia, the Vidzeme knighthood, the Dukes of Courland and the Governor General of Vidzeme. Experts have concluded that Latvian archives are among the richest in the world. At least this much can be safely said — scientists from Poland, Russia, Sweden, Germany and Vatican come to Latvia to work in our archives and, armed with heart tonic, happily dedicate themselves to studies of authentic documents as opposed to some sort of a third copy of a second forgery. To a historian Latvian archives are what Montemartre is to a Parisian. The oldest document we have in Latvia is the writ of foundation of the St. George’s Hospital by the Livonian Bishop Albert, dated 1220. The oldest documentary photograph is a Riga view from 1863.

Anyone who was born in Latvia has been entered in the books at least twice ― upon birth and death. The department of the Latvia State Historical Archive where the church books are kept still smells of frankincense. And, supposing a person has happened to cross the path of a photographer or a cameraman, he is sure to have been immortalised in one of the 24,000 films or perhaps the 389,000 photo negatives and will be able to recognise him/herself taking part in some sort of social, economic or cultural event from the late 19th century to present days.