The National Archive for City and District Documents in Cracow opened on the 2^nd September 1878 and this date is considered as the beginning of the State Archive in Cracow. After Poland gained independence, the Archive came under the management of the Ministry of Religious Denominations and Public Education as the District Archive, on 1^st October 1919. In 1936 it took on the title of the State Archive.

The City Council of Cracow, with its resolution of the 2^nd June 1887, named the City Archive The Archive for Historical Records of the City of Cracow and gave it the building at 16 Sienna Street as its seat. In 1951 the Archive was incorporated into the network of Archives under the management of the Head Director of the State Archives, and on the 1^st February 1952 it was incorporated into the State Archive in Cracow.

The building at 16 Sienna Street, now the headquarters of the State Archive, has a rich history. It was here that the Society of Friends of Cracow History and Monuments was created in 1896 (still in existence) and the Society of Conservators of Western Galicia, a forerunner of the historical monuments conservation service, held its meetings. Here, as well, the Historical Museum of the City of Cracow came into being.

The archive is an open institution, still collecting materials from the state and local government units, various associations, registry offices, economic institutions, as well as from individuals. We accept, above all, materials connected with the history of the city and the region, but also those concerning the former eastern territory of Poland, which complement the family collections already in possession.