What happens to records when a municipality ceases to exist?

When a municipality ceases to exist, records are transferred to the state archives. This procedure ensures that the records, which often include important historical, legal, and administrative documents, are preserved for historical reference and accountability. Transferring records to the state archives allows for organized storage, access for researchers, and protection against loss or destruction that might occur if they were left in a defunct municipality's offices.

Archiving in local offices is not a typical practice because the local offices would no longer have a legal standing or operational capability to manage those records. Immediate destruction of records would eliminate valuable information, which is not consistent with legal requirements for record-keeping. Distributing records to neighboring municipalities could lead to confusion and loss, as records would not be organized systematically and might not be necessary for the neighboring municipalities. Thus, the transfer to state archives is the most logical and formal process for managing municipal records when a municipality is dissolved.