Open Day at the Zutphen Regional Archive

Take a look behind the scenes at a place where care became history.

The centuries-old building at Spiegelstraat 13, which now houses the Zutphen Regional Archive, was built in 1442 as the ‘Nieuwe’ or ‘Sint-Elisabethgasthuis’, which took in the sick, the poor and travellers. In 1625, this was merged into the Old and New Gasthuis on Nieuwstad. This institution later developed not only into a hospital but also into a psychiatric institution, with the Groot Graffel as its outpatient facility from 1901 onwards. This was the forerunner of the current GGNet. After serving various other purposes, the building on Spiegelstraat became the reading room of the Zutphen Regional Archive (RAZ) in 1989. The RAZ now also holds the Groot Graffel archive. This brings together the history of the former almshouse, the subsequent care institution and the current archive in a single location.

In addition to the Groot Graffel archive, the RAZ also manages the archives of the municipalities of Brummen, Lochem and Zutphen, as well as many private archives. These include those of (church) councils, associations, businesses, families and individuals. More and more material is available to consult online, but there are still several kilometres of archives stored in the archive repository. During the open day, the doors of the archive repository – which is normally closed to the public – will be opened. Staff will take visitors on a guided tour to see some of the most remarkable archive items.

The open day takes place during Science Weekend and the first weekend of History Month. This year’s theme is ‘Body and Mind’, which is why the Groot Graffel archive will be given special attention during the open day. Everyone is very welcome; admission is free.