Historical Archive of the City of Barcelona

The first documentary material to be kept in the Archives consists of mediaeval and modern municipal documents dating from the middle of the eighteenth century to the first third of the nineteenth century, with special reference to the Consell de Cent (1249-1714). Most notable among the contents are the parchments, municipal manuscripts and privileges books collection, the deliberations registers, the royal letters, the Corts proceedings, the documentation concerning provisions and urban planning, and the documentation from institutions directly linked to the municipality such as the Consulat de Mar and the Taula de Canvi.

Regarding the modern City Council after 1174, some of the most notable contents are the books containing municipal agreements and minutes, the documentation received by or sent to the higher authorities, and the documentation generated to control epidemics:

Regarding the period of the Old Regime, of special note are the documents issued by royal officials with jurisdiction over the city such as the vegueria and corregidor archive and some important commercial, notarial and heritage documents. The guild archives containing documents from some 90 guilds are worthy of special mention.

Private archives from the nineteenth and twentieth centuries of importance to the history of culture are also preserved here. Some examples are the Jocs Florals de Barcelona and the personal collections of Jacint Verdaguer, Narcís Oller, J.M. López Picó, Miquel Garriga i Roca, Ildefons Cerdà, Apel·les Mestres, Francesc Carreras Candi and the Brusi family.