Wschodniopruskie archiwa rodowe w zasobie polskich archiwów: od pałaców królewsko-magnackich do instytucji archiwalnych

This contribution addresses the fate and significance of East Prussian family archives that were preserved after the Second World War and incorporated into the holdings of Polish archival institutions. It examines the historical and constitutional circumstances of their acquisition, the processes of institutional dispersal, and the measures undertaken by state authorities, regional institutions, and private individuals to safeguard East Prussian family archives. Particular attention is paid to the consequences of their dispersal for contemporary research on the region’s cultural and archival heritage. The concluding section formulates a postulate for the development of an integrated informational approach to resources originating from former East Prussian family archives, based on the federated linking of archival, library, and museum metadata. As a potential institutional framework for the implementation of this concept, the National Repository of Scientific and Cultural Objects (Krajowe Repozytorium Obiektów Nauki i Kultury, KRONIK@), operated by the Ministry of Digital Affairs of the Republic of Poland, is indicated. The aim of such a solution would be the informational consolidation of dispersed archival materials, enabling the reconstruction of their provenance relationships and the integration of these resources into broader scholarly and educational circulation, without interfering with their current places of custody. The implementation of this postulate requires cooperation among archives, libraries, museums, and the scholarly community. Through the integration of resources, expertise, and research tools, such collaboration may contribute to restoring a coherent image of the heritage of East Prussian family archives and to assigning it a new, supra-local significance within the culture of memory, derived from the historical role and importance of their creators.