IZA is no longer an active search site. Use

Szukajwarchiwach.pl for your Polish digital archive searches.

IZA (was http://baza.archiwa.gov.pl/sezam/iza.php) is a free, online search system for locating specific fonds (record collections) at archives in Poland. It’s similar to SEZAM and ZoSIA (referred to as SEZAM hereafter) but in IZA your search returns will go to the specific fond/record collection, at SEZAM your search returns go to the record creator. You can usually get to the same information through either search.

There are no actual records or images on IZA. You will need to visit the repository onsite or hire a researcher to make inquiries for you. If you select a search result, often IZA will link you to a more detailed description of a collection/archive/record creator at SEZAM or ELA or a link that reads “DOKUMENTYAKTA STANU CYWILNEGO or FILE MARITAL STATUS” will take you to PRADZIAD where you can do further parish record/civil registration searches.

IZA search parameters include:

• Archive (44 listed archives, but if you select “All” archives it will search more archives than those listed. Also, the archives menu has the archive name and then in parentheses, the assigned archive number. This number is consistent throughout Polish archive sites)

• Team number (“#/0” usually is the best format, but sometimes a simple “#” will work)

• Series

• Subseries

• Unit title / folder/ document

• password index (geographical, personal, or material)

IZA gives a brief description of the collection beginning with a numerical code (example: 1/188/0/47)

The first part of this code is the archive number (from the example above, 1 is the preassigned number meaning the Central Archives of Historical Records).

The next part of this code is the team number (188/0 is the team number).

The last part of this code is the fond number/record collection (47 is the fond number or record collection number).

Search returns are listed in numerical order first by archive number, then team number, then fond number.

Example of an IZA search result and information provided (was http://baza.archiwa.gov.pl/sezam/iza.php?nrarchiwum=&l=pl&mode=search2&nrzespolu=&seria=&soperator=and&seria2=&podseria=&poperator=and&podseria2=&tytul=67&toperator=and&tytul2=&indeks=&ioperator=and&indeks2=&search2=search).

IZA – Inwentarze Zespołów Archiwalnych (English: United Inventory of Archival Fonds).