History

Although the University of Turin was founded in 1404, the history of its archives can be traced with some continuity only from the 1720s onward. These years saw the reforms promoted by Victor Amadeus II and the inauguration of the building in Via Verdi, which still houses the Rectorate today.

The history of the Archives and the development of its collections are closely and inseparably linked to the history of the University as a whole, itself strongly influenced by national events. Over the last three centuries, the archives have repeatedly been affected by major historical events such as the French occupation and Napoleonic rule; the transfer of the capital of the Kingdom of Italy — and therefore of the Ministry of Education — from Turin to Florence in 1865; the fire at the National University Library in 1904; and the bombing of the city in 1942.

References in documentary sources to the premises formerly used for the preservation of records are rather sporadic. The archives, always under the responsibility of the secretaries, were moved several times within the University Palace during the nineteenth century, before eventually being relegated to its basement rooms in the post-war period.

The new premises of the Historical Archives, inaugurated in December 2006, represent the culmination of the work of recovering and enhancing the University’s historical memory, officially undertaken from the late 1980s onward.