Monday–Friday 8.30 am – 5 pm. September–May also Tuesdays 5 pm – 8 pm. Open during June–August weekdays 8.30 am – 4 pm, closed for lunch 12 am –1 pm.

20 seats in the search room and a lecture room. There is a common room where visitors are welcome to eat their packed lunch. Photocopies of archival records 1 SEK each, other copies 2 SEK each.

The aim of the Popular Movements Archives is to document the activities of popular movements and organizational activities in the county of Örebro. The archives aim to stimulate the use of this documentation and if neccessary give advice and service in archival matters. The archive was founded in 1969 like an archive for the municipality of Örebro. In 1973 the archive was extended to include the entire Örebro county. The institution is active in publishing local historic literature.

The Business Archives, founded in 1985 (after working within Örebro municipality since 1977), is an association with members from the business community in Örebro county. Thew archives have been located in the old postal and telegraph building in Örebro since the beginning of 1996. The main targeting of the archive is to collect and store/maintain business collections and to document the business archives and the business life in the county.

On assignment the Business Archives have arranged and made archival descriptions for collections of Skyllbergs bruk, Frövifors bruk, Loka brunn and Nitro Nobel AB. The archive also gives advice concerning document handling. The Business Archives is also responsible for the valuable collection of Nora Bergslags Järnväg in Nora.

ArkivCentrum holds nearly 5 km of collections from more than half of 3 400 organisations and 700 companies in Örebro county. On the organization side the span is wide, even though the focus is more on the classical popular movements.

The Business Archives represents most branches. The collections dates from the first part of the 17th century to the first half of the 20th century. Here we have interesting iron works records including Laxå, Hasselfors, Svartå, Ramshytte, Stadra, Valåsens, Ölsboda and Villingsbergs iron works. Transactions from several older dairies from different parts of the county is held here, and records from well known mining companies like Striberg, Ställberg, Stripa, Dalkarlsberg and Vieille Montagne. Furthermore we hold archives from shoe companies in Örebro and Kumla, among them the most well known of them all, Oscaria. Of course ArkivCentrum holds documents from Örebro Kexfabrik. Other interesting collections are those from Porla Brunn, Svenska Skiffeoljeaktiebolaget and Örebro Elektriska AB.

Clearing book from Svartå Bruk 1744.

The records from Sveriges Blåbandsförbund, Örebromissionen, Helgelseförbundet and Gideoniterna are held in ArkivCentrum. A big collection with over 1 500 interviews and written memoirs also exists.

Most of the business archives are of interest, but the iron works collections should be given prominence. The documents from Laxå bruk are valuable from local, family history and iron work history point of view. They contain comprehensive statements on cottages and farms from parishes round Laxå. In the records of the iron works and mining companies there often exist well documented personal information to please research workers from different field. The archives of Loka brunn are also valuable, seen from social and medical research point of view.

Hospital register from Porla Brunn 1856.

There are data bases on the collections of the popular movements, such as a registry over associations in the county from the end of the 18th century until today (approx 9 500 records). With assistance from archive institutions both within and outside the county the Popular Movements Archives in 1994 published a county archive directory with statements on more than 11 500 holdings. The directory have three search orders: an alphabetic, a systematic and a topographical. The directory can be orded from ArkivCentrum (price 20 SEK + postage).

Printed inventory catalogues exist from ten of the eleven municipals of the county and from three of the municipal parts within Örebro municipality (a fourth is under production).

More than 80 % of the records at the Business Archives in Örebro county have hitherto been given archival descriptions according to the Swedish general archival description scheme. A data base with topographic and systematic registry over the holdings exists, like a database over mining in the county (approx 4 100 records) and companies (approx 27 900 records).

Thor, Clas, Med fanorna i täten. En bok om arbetarrörelsens och nykterhetsrörelsens fanor och standar. Örebro 1982.

Bergström, Olle, Från Betelkapellet till Sörbykyrkan. Några fakta om väckelserörelsens uppkomst och utveckling i Örebro. Örebro 1983.

Arkiv i Örebro län. En väg till vetande. Örebro 1984.

Jag minns det som igår. Närkingar berättar. Örebro 1988.

Hallgren, Hans, Barnet från Jan Persagården. En barfotalasses minnen. Örebro 1989.

Folkrörelseforskning. Var står folkrörelseforskningen idag? Framtida forskningsuppgifter. Rapport från ett seminarium på högskolan i Örebro. Örebro 1990.

Töser & Tanter. 59 kvinnor berättar. Örebro 1991.

Arkivkatalog för Örebro län. Örebro 1994.

Doris, Snoddas och alla vi andra. Berättelser om 50-talet. Örebro 1994.

Bergström, Olle, Från Sommarro till Däldenäs. Kristna sommarhem i Örebro län. Örebro 1996.

Kära brevvän. En bok om och med brev. Stockholm 1998.

Bergslag. Kartläggning av källorna till samt studier i bergshanteringens historia i Örebro län. Örebro 2000.

Fors, Rune. Min barndoms hav var Hjälmaren. Örebro 2001.

Det var dans i Folkets Park. Minnen från den svenska folkparken. Örebro 2004.

Olle Bergström, Församlingar och byggnader i väckelsens Örebro. Örebro 2007.

Örebro 1945. Om livet i skuggan av andra världskriget. Örebro 2007.

Olle Bergström, Missionshus och kapell i väckelsens Askersund. Örebro 2008.

For more information on ours books, see Boklådan.