The Polish State Archives (Naczelna Dyrekcja Archiwów Panstwowych) maintains the older German church and civil records. There are five district archives for the regions of what was formerly Hinterpommern. Many of these records dating before 1880 have been microfilmed by the LDS Church, and are available in the U.S. through the Family History Library.

Hinterpommern civil records (Urzad Stanu Cywilnego) were originally recorded in the local town office. Vital records less than 100 years old are located in the town's local government office, while records older than 100 years are at one of the Polish State Archives regional branches.

The Polish State and District archives include:

Naczelna Dyrekcja Archiwów Panstwowych
ul. Díuga 6
skrztka pocytowa Nr 1005
00-950 Warszawa, Poland
E-mail: info.coia@archiwa.gov.pl
Telephone: 011 48 22 635 68 22
Archiwum Panstwowe w Szczecinie
ul. Sw. Wojciecha 13
70-410 Szczecin, Poland
E-mail: sekretariat@szczecin.ap.gov.pl
Telephone: 011 48 91 433 50 02
Archiwum Panstwowe w Koszalinie Oddzial w Slupsku
ul. W. Lutoslawskiego 17
76-200 Slupsk, Poland
E-mail: apslupsk@interia.pl
Telephone: 011 48 59 842 54 13

Archiwum Panstwowe w Koszalinie Oddzial w Szczecinku
ul. Parkowa 3
78-400 Szczecinek, Poland
E-mail: ap.szczecinek@neostrada.pl
Telephone: 011 48 94 374 03 63
Archiwum Panstwowe w Koszalinie
ul. Marii Sklodowskiej - Curie 2
skr. poczt. 149
75-950 Koszalin, Poland
E-mail: apk3@polbox.com
Telephone: 011 48 94 342 26 22
Archiwum Panstwowe w Gdansku
ul. Waly Píastowskie 5
skr. poczt. 401
80-958 Gdansk, Poland
E-mail: apgda@gdansk.ap.gov.pl
Telephone: 011 48 58 301 74 63

Additional Information

Ancestral Attic: Poland Research and Tours.
Architektura Sakralna Pomorza Zachodniego Pictures of former Pommern churches in Poland. Select A to Z on the right and it brings up church pictures from many different cities/villages. It gives the Polish name with the German name in smaller letters below.
Archives in Poland. The holdings of the archives in Poland. In many cases they are only a brief overview. Knowledge of Polish and how the archives are organized is helpful in finding information. (In English and Polish)
Blatt, Warren. Vital Records in Poland.
Consulate General of Poland, 1530 N. Lake Shore Dr., Chicago, IL 60610-1695 Email:polcon@interaccess.com
Deutsch-Polnsich Ortsname Index. Index to German-Polish place names. (In German)
Diözesanarchiv Posen (Poznan) Church records from over 300 congregations in the archdiocese of Poznan. (In German)
Discovering Roots. "Discovering Roots" can help you visit Poland, find your ancestral towns, research your roots and imagine how your ancestors lived here in the old days that are gone, although the traces are still easy to find!
Poland Letter Writing Guide. Sample letters to a Polish parish, Ecclesiastical Archive, Polish State Archive, and Polish Civil Registration Office. (In English)
Kilburn, Paul. "Germany Then, Poland Now." Everton's Family History, May/June 2004, 22-25.
Maps and Cities of Poland. The map itself contains all polish cities of more than 15.000 inhabitants. At present over 85 of these cities have links and 45 of them with information in English.
Obtaining Polish Records. Information on how to get information from various archives and libraries in Poland. (In English)
Polish Genealogical Society of America, 984 N. Milwaukee Ave., Chicago, IL 60622 , Email: pgsamerica@aol.com (Research information, bulletin boards, and other Polish help. In English)
Regions of Poland. Regions of Poland, past and present. (In English)
Research Reports from Polish archives by Polish researcher. From the web page of Dr. R. Reuben Drefs. (.rtf file - In English)
Staatsarchiv Bromberg (Bydgoszcz) Brief information about the state archive in Bromberg. (In Polish)
Staatsarchiv Danzig (Gdansk) Brief information about the state archive for West Prussia. (In Polish)
Staatsarchiv Posen (Poznan) Brief information about the state archive of the Province of Posen. (In Polish)
Staatsarchiv Stettin. (In German)
Voivodships of Poland.
Jan. 2024