The Congress
The International Congresses of Genealogical and Heraldic Sciences take place every two years in different countries.
They are organized by institutions of the respective host country which have an outstanding reputation as genealogists and heraldists.
In collaboration with the Académie Internationale de Généalogie and the Confédération Internationale de Généalogie et Héraldique the Bureau Permanent de l’Académie Internationale d’Héraldique has conferred the congress of the year 2012 on the Nederlandse Genealogische Vereniging (Dutch Genealogical Society) and the Centraal Bureau voor Genealogie (Central Bureau of Genealogy).
The Nederlandse Genealogische Vereniging
was founded in Amsterdam in 1946 to promote and support genealogical research in The Netherlands.
The societies documentation centre is located in Weesp. There many volunteers work to provide access to its extensive library and collections.
Mid 2010 the NGV has more than 9,000 members, spread over 28 local and regional branches. These branches organize lectures and excursions for their members. Many of them also offer their members the opportunity to publish the results of their research in their maganizine or pedigree books.
Gens Nostra, the societies review, also offers its members the opportunity to publish the results of their research. It also contains a section with news from the archival world, reviews of books and magazines in the association's library, a list of acquisitions and a question section.
website NGV
The Centraal Bureau of Genealogy
was founded in 1945 as a national documentation and information centre for family history and heraldry in The Netherlands, and to give the public access to both state-owned and privately-owned genealogical collections in a centralized location. Since 1980 the Bureau is housed in the same building as the National Archives and the Royal Library.
Per year there are about 8,500 visitors to the reading room of this documentation center. These visitors come to gather information on their own ancestors or on persons or groups of persons for a scientific purpose.
Since 2007 the online reading room gives access to an increasing number of digitized collections. On an annual basis about 220,000 visitors make use of this service.
The CBG offers courses for starting genealogists and users of the Aldfaer software.
Every year about 11,500 ‘Friends’ (contributors) of the CBG receive the Yearbook with articles on genealogy and heraldry, and the quarterly Genealogie. Tijdschrift voor familiegeschiedenis (Genealogy. Magazine on family history).
L'Académie Internationale d’Héraldique
was founded in Paris in 1949 to bring together experts in heraldry representing the various areas of the world. Admission is by election and the number of active academicians is limited to 75. There is no limit to the number of associate members. The general assembly usually meets once a year; the headquarters of L'Académie are in Switzerland. The Academy’s aim is to centralize the heraldic studies on the basis of the largest possible international cooperation.
Applications for admission are addressed to L'Académie in writing and need the sponsorship of a member of the Council. On a bi-yearly basis, the Académie holds the International Heraldic Colloquium.
The International Academy for Genealogy
Its goal is to encourage and co-ordinate genealogical studies at an international level as well as to promote colloquiums and meetings on a world scale, both in order to raise genealogy to the status of a true and worthy branch of the social sciences
The Conféderation Internationale de Généalogie et d’Héraldique
was founded in Brussels (Belgium) in 1971 to encourage cooperation between genealogical and heraldic societies
