Metadata: The Provincial Board (Gubernskoe Pravlenie) of Livland
Collection
- Country:
- Estonia
- Holding institution:
- Historical Archives of Estonia
- Holding institution (official language):
- Eesti Ajalooarhiiv
- Postal address:
- Tartu, J. Liivi 4, 50409
- Phone number:
- (+372) 738 7500
- Web address:
- https://www.ra.ee/et/kes-me-oleme-2/
- Email:
- rahvusarhiiv@ra.ee
- Reference number:
- f. 297
- Title:
- The Provincial Board (Gubernskoe Pravlenie) of Livland
- Title (official language):
- Liivimaa kubermanguvalitsus
- Creator/accumulator:
- Provincial Board (Gubernskoe Pravlenie) of Livland
- Date(s):
- 1710/1919
- Language:
- German
- Russian
- Extent:
- 19,827 files
- Type of material:
- Textual material
- Physical condition:
- good
- Scope and content:
-
The collection comprises the records of the provincial board (gubernskoe pravlenie) of Livland (Livonia). In 19th-century Russia, provincial boards were legally designated as the main administrative bodies of the governorates. In practice, however, they were completely subordinate to the governors, and had rather limited authority. The provincial boards addressed various administrative issues, and were responsible, among other things, for supervising the enforcement of laws throughout the governorates, and for arbitration between individuals and institutions.
The collection of the provincial board of Livland comprises a considerable body of Jewish-related materials, mostly from the 1870s and later. Files from the earlier periods refer mostly to the question of Jewish residence in Riga and in the Governorate of Livland. Certain files mention expulsions of Jews who were caught in the governorate without a passport or residence permit, or refusals to grant permission to visit Livland (such as in a case of a foreign Jewish visitor in 1834). Other documents mention issues such as the closure of private Jewish schools in 1854 and the discussion of the regulations concerning the Jewish oath in the same year.
Files from the 1860s mention communities of Jewish artisans and dismissed soldiers (including cantonists) throughout the governorate: an 1872 correspondence concerning the right of Jewish artisans to settle in area; correspondence on the appointment of crown rabbis and the functioning of prayer houses and synagogues in Kuressaare, Pärnu, Tartu, Valga, Viljandi and Võru; and correspondence on residence permits and expulsions. Several files refer to institutions of Jewish education, such as material from 1890 on Jewish state-sponsored elementary schools.
- Archival history:
- The archive of the provincial board of Livland was created in 1852 and expanded in subsequent years. During World War I part of the archive was evacuated to Ryazan (Russia) and Tartu; after the war a major part of the archive was returned to Riga (see f. 4 LVVA) and another became part of the Central State Archive of Estonia, the predecessor of the current Estonian Historical Archives.
- Administrative/biographical history:
- Livonia was incorporated into Russia as a result of the Great Northern War (1700-1721). During most of the 18th century the area was part of the Riga Governorate. The Governorate of Livonia was created in 1796 and existed until the end of the Tsarist period. Until 1852 it was divided into Russian and German departments. During World War I a part of the governorate was occupied by the German army. After the war, the territory of the governorate was divided between the independent states of Latvia and Estonia.
- System of arrangement:
- The collection consists of twelve inventories in Russian or German, which are arranged in thematic-chronological order.
- Access, restrictions:
- The collection is open for reference at the Historical Arсhives of Estonia, Tartu.
- Finding aids:
-
Data on the collection is available at the web portal of the National Archives of Estonia: http://ais.ra.ee, Detailotsing – Leidandmed – EAA.297.
For further reference see: Центральный государственный исторический архив Эстонской ССР. Путеводитель, Москва, Тарту 1969, 24-26; Arhiivijuht, I. Tartu 2003, 61-66.
- Links to finding aids:
- http://ais.ra.ee
- Yerusha Network member:
- Central Archives for the History of the Jewish People
- Author of the description:
- Tatjana Schor, Historical Archives of Estonia, and Alex Valdman, Central Archives for the History of the Jewish People, 2015
