The Institute for the History of Resistance and Contemporary Society in the Provinces of Biella and Vercelli was founded in October 1974 and has actively worked for more than 35 years to make up a unique cultural heritage.
Operating as a research centre on contemporary history and as a reference library and data bank on wide-ranging social and historical issues, the Institute is intended to gather, record and file all kinds of documents concerning the Provinces of Biella and Vercelli, Valsesia and neighbouring areas in the North-west of Italy.
Advanced research is conducted on anti-fascism, Italian Resistance, workers’ and peasants’ movements.
The Institute works to promote historical studies and provides lectures, conferences and informative courses. It also produces videotapes and books, and has published a magazine entitled “l’impegno” (The Commitment) since 1981.
The Institute’s assets are truly remarkable: hundreds of thousands of documents, thousands of books, hundreds of newspaper cuttings, films and videos.
The archive, the library and the wide collection of newspapers and magazines, photographs, films, videos and recordings, the data bank and the bibliographies are freely available to all those interested in the history of these areas.
The Institute has also carried out research on issues and events concerning other countries (emigration, antifascism, the Resistance, warfare, deportation, shoah, etc.) arranged conferences, published books and a large number of articles, composed hypertexts. A fine selection is archived on the site.