Archiv Masarykovy univerzity University archive

The Archive of Masaryk University ranks among the most significant and largest university archives in the Czech Republic. Among archives, it is listed as a specialized institution and within the university it holds the status of a university-wide workplace. Its mission is to care for the cultural and historical heritage that the university creates through its activities. It manages university documents and other materials, takes care of their storage, makes them accessible to those interested, and continues to expand its collections.

The archive developed gradually during the nineteen thirties. In nineteen thirty-one an archival commission was established, which was to prepare its official foundation and took receipt of the first documents. It was headed by history professor Bohumil Navrátil. Its members were historian Václav Hrubý, legal historian František Čáda, and art historian Eugen Dostál. After Václav Hrubý's death, he was replaced in nineteen thirty-eight by historian and archivist Jindřích Šebánek. Although the archive operated and managed a large quantity of archival materials, the position of archivist was not filled and all the work was carried out by the four-member commission. This remained the case until the closure of Czech universities in nineteen thirty-nine.

During the Second World War the archive suffered major losses. Only the records of students remained intact, which the Nazi authorities used to persecute Czech students. After universities reopened in nineteen forty-five, the archive began to operate again and for the first time acquired an archivist. He was Jiří Radimský, the first in a line of heads of this institution.

The following years were however difficult. The archive moved several times and was affected by public administration reorganizations connected with the arrival of the communist regime. In nineteen fifty the archival commission ceased operations. From nineteen fifty-four to nineteen fifty-eight a retired school director Jindřích Dušek took care of the archive, and after his departure the archive was left completely without staff. All this led to the gradual dispersal of the collections.

Improvement came at the beginning of the nineteen sixties. The archive settled in a new building of the rector's office on Arna Nováka street and for three decades had permanent facilities in the grounds of the Faculty of Philosophy. Archival science is taught there, so interns, employees and researchers came from the field. The first long-term director was Irena Hrabětová. She laid the foundations for systematic organization of the collections and focused on acquiring personal legacies. Today the archive manages one hundred thirty-five of these and thus ranks among significant institutions for the history of Czech and Czechoslovak science.