Prato State Archives

Presentation of the library

In 1957 the most important part of the city archives were gathered together to form one single institute of conservation the “Section of the State Archive of Prato” founded in the same year and located in the Palace of the 14th century, that was once the home of Francesco di Marco Datini.
From 1998, following the setting up of the Province of Prato, the Section became “State Archive” and it was not any longer under the authority of the Florence State Archive. The Prato State Archive preserves the most important archives which are evidence of relevant features of the town history, of the institutional aspects of the local government and associated life up to archives of families and individual persons.

The library is an indispensable support for the study of archives preserved here and is characterized therefore with publications on history, both general that local history. A specialized theme that find here a wide representation – on regional and national level – is the theme of the archives, with inventories, manuals, essays. Remarkable is also the collection of thesis (graduate and doctoral) which have as their subject the figure of the merchant Francesco Datini.

Resources

• Records of archive (registers, files and envelopes): over 30.000;
• Records of library (books and periodicals): 4.700;
• Photographic material, attached to some archival

Reading places

24

Service

• Information and counselling to students;
• Consultation of the archival and bibliographic material;
• Issuing certificates;
• Photo-reproduction e microfilms;
• Guided tours.