The subjects of archives in Bulgaria are state documents and not state institutions and physical persons from the Liberation of Bulgaria (1878). Documents concerning Bulgarian history of the last 120 years are preserved at the Central State Archives (CSA). In 1993, the documents (without the internal party records) of the Central Committee of Bulgarian Communist Party preserved at the Central Party Archives were also transferred here.
CSA consists of seven departments: "Old archives", "New archives", “Party archives and public organizations", "Private funds", "Documents concerning the Bulgarian history preserved in foreign archival depositories", "Accounts, preservation and use" and "Automation".
By 1 November 2003 the availability of its fund amounted to: 2.163 office funds, 1.782 private funds and 1.738 partial receipts.
In CSA the following documents are preserved:
A/ OFFICE FUNDS OF:
Legislative, executive and legal bodies - Monarchical institute, Regency, Presidency of People's Republic of Bulgaria, President's administration of the People's Republic of Bulgaria, National assembly, Council of Ministers, Ministries, Supreme court, Main prosecutor's office, committees, and other high and central bodies of the state.
Finance and economic institutions - Bulgarian national bank /BNB/ and other large banks, insurance companies and institutions, joint-stock companies, factories, economic combines, state-economic units, trade companies, foreign trade organizations, etc.
Cultural, educational and scientific institutions - National Theater, National Opera and Ballet, Sofia State Philharmonic, publishing houses and editor's offices, studios, National Library, research institutions / of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences/, etc.
Religious institutions - Bulgarian exarchate, Holy synod of Bulgarian Orthodox Church, Bachkovo and Troyan monasteries, Main office of Mufti, Central Consistory of Jews.
B. FUNDS OF SOCIAL-POLITICAL ORGANIZATIONS
Political parties - Bulgarian communist party with its 100-years history; old political parties since the end of 19th c. - Democratic and Liberal parties, the Emigrant government of Bulgarian Agricultural Popular Union (BAPU), Democratic Agreement; and after the World war two - BAPU, BAPU "Nikola Petkov", Central Committee of Popular union "Zveno", National committee of Fatherland Front, etc.
Organizations, connected with the Bulgarian's struggle for national liberation and union - Macedonian Revolutionary Organization (IMRO), IMRO (united), Union of Macedonian volunteers, etc.
C/ FUNDS OF EMMINENTS:
Social-political workers - V.Radoslavov, K.Stoilov, general R.Petrov, D.Stanchov, Iv.Evstr. Geshov, general N.Gekov, Al,Stamboliyski, A.Liapchev, N.Mushanov, Gr.Vassilev, D.Peshev, Iv.Bagrianov, G.Dimitrov, V.Kolarov, V.Chervenkov, A.Iugov, T.Zivkov, St.Todorov, Gr.Philipov etc.
Workers of national-liberating and unifying movement - St. Zaimov, N. Obretenov, Iv.Andonov, G.Delchev, M.Gerdjikov, T.Alexandrov, Al.Protogerov, etc.
Economic workers - Varbitza sultans Geray, Gumushgerdan family, Evl.&Hr. Georgievi, Geshovi family, Tapchileshtov family, N.Stoyanov, etc.
Cultural, scientific and technical workers - P.K.Iavorov, P.U.Todorov, K.Hristov, Vl.Vassilev, Al.Balabanov, D.Krapchev, Dora Gabe, Elisaveta Bagriana, G.Kazarov, P.Dinekov, Iar.Veshin, Vl.Dimitrov-Maistora, A.Nikolov, V.Zahariev, K.Shtarkelov, Hr.Brambarov, L.Prokopova, Hr.Morphova - Lukash, N.O.Massalitinov, Hr.Tzankov, Iv.Popov, S.Ognianiov, K.Kissimov, architect Iv.Vassiliov, architect N.Nikolov, engineer N.Beshkov, etc.
Representatives of clergy - Exarch Josef, Patriarch Cyril, metropolitan M.Kusevich, etc.
This fund includes: laws, decrees, ordinances, directions, decisions, rules, regulations, instructions, circular letters, orders, reports, protocols, accounts, plans, budgets, agreements, contracts, official and private correspondence, manuscripts of scientific and artistic works, memoirs, dairies, posters, placards, scientific-technical documentation, photographs, sound-recording, movies, electronic and other documents in the original or copies.
CSA is also a national depository for copies of documents concerning Bulgarian history from foreign archival depositories, acquired by the Bulgarian researchers after many years of research. They fill the emptiness in the history from the Middle Ages and the Ottoman rule to the modern times. CSA encompasses almost 3,5 millions documents, discovered in archival depositories and libraries in the USA, Austria, Russia, Great Britain, France, Germany, Vatican etc.
The most numerous are the copies of documents from the end of 19th c. and from the last century. They refer to entire spectrum of Bulgarian's inter-governmental relationships. There are also collections of copies of unique old charts /historical and geographical/ and old navigation maps from 14th till 19th centuries: Slavic, Greek, Latin, Ottoman Turkish, Western European and other manuscripts.
Bulgarian State Security Archive is controlled by a special Committee (the official name of the institution is Archive of the Committee for Disclosure of the Documents and Announcing Affiliation of Bulgarian Citizens with the State Security and the Intelligence Services of the Bulgarian National Army). Depending on the accessibility, documents in this archive are divided in the three categories:
1. The Committee collects and makes public all the archives of the former repressive institutions. The inventories and working documents, created by different branches of that repressive system, are accessible and their inventories are on the web-site of the Committee.
This does not apply, however, to the personal files of officers, agents and objects of the State Security.
2. The other task of the Committee is to check and publicly announce certain groups with high public status for affiliation of their members to the State Security. If a certain individual is checked and announced as agent or officer, his/her file is public and accessible for anyone. Approximately 150.000 people have been checked, and about 8.000 of them were announced as State Security agents or officers. This information and relevant files are accessible for anyone.
3. The third category consists of people, who have not been checked and the victims of the State Security. The information about them is regarded as personal and is accessible only for them or their relatives.