The Estonian Archives in Sweden - A Brief Overview
In November 1970, the Estonian Cultural Archives were founded by the Estonian National Congress in
The actual work was carried out by the archival committee of the REE. The committee was headed by Ahti Pae (
One of the tasks was the collecting of documents regarding the escape from the occupied home country, the arrival in Sweden and the life of the Estonian refugees. The archival records were stored in rooms of the REE at Sandhamnsgatan 1 in Stockholm until 1989.
The organising of archival records came to a halt in the 1980s due to the death of Ahti Pae, but the gathering of archival records continued on the initiative of REE. Among the material submitted was newspapers, periodicals, books, films and archives of organisations.
The REE archival committee was revived in March 2007, with the aim of preserving the cultural heritage of the Estonians in Sweden; this heritage is to be found in the archives of individuals and organisations, but is today threatened by destruction and oblivion.
On the 23d of April 2007, an archival group was established. This group consisted of volunteers who were guided into the work with the help of archivists Jaan Pannel and Tiit Baugus. The group has mainly worked with the archives of Estonian organisations in Sweden. The aim is to transfer these collections to suitable archival institutions, since the current storage space never was meant to house archival records.
The group continues its work, now under a new name: The Estonian Archives in Sweden.