Arhivele Statului din Iași în timpul celor două conflagrații mondiale (The State Archives of Iași during the Two World Conflagrations)

1.Objective: The main objective is to present the evolution of the State Archives of Iași during the two World Wars, a situation that is too little known. The archives of the State of Iași were established in 1832, by the Organic Regulation of Moldova and represent the "sanctuary of the rights of compatriots" (Gh. Asachi), "a public fortune that serves as the basis of the laws and history of the country" (V. Alecsandri). Although, initially, it was seen as a public place where all the documents that were no longer useful from a practical point of view for the institutions that created them were gathered, Gheorghe Asachi, the first archivist of the State Archives of Iași, manages to highlight the true meaning that they have, namely, the sacred deposit of all documents and archives considered as "historical materials", which would serve to write the history of the country and support the rights of all "compatriots". 2. Research method: This article is prepared on the basis of unpublished archival documents that are kept at the Iași County Service of National Archives and which are included in various archival funds and archival collections (The State Archives of Iași-Chancellery Archive, Iaşi City Hall, Stamps and Photographs Collection, etc.), as well as due to the specialized works. 3. Results: The archives of the State of Iași represent a cultural institution that functioned permanently, even during the two world conflagrations, but, of course, with significant changes and consequences that concerned the amount of documents and their temporary storage. Those who were in charge of it during the reference period: Sever Zotta (1912-1934), Alexandru Băleanu (1934-1940) and Gheorghe Ungureanu (1940-1968), took care of the security and protection of the documents in the records of the State Archives of Iași. 4.Conclusion: This article highlights the evolution in all aspects of an institution of overwhelming importance for the Romanian society in a period that marked its destiny. It also answers at many questions that have been asked over time about the existence or lack of certain documents and their condition.