Organised collection of archive materials in the Inner Autrian lands started in the early 19th century. In 1811, the Landesmuseum Joanneum was founded in Graz, in which the archives, owing to the archduke Johannes, played an important role. Aiming at collection archival, archaeological, artistic and ethnological material, the historical association of Styria, Carniola and Carinthia was founded, with its central office in Graz and provincial offices in Graz for Styria, in Ljubljana for Carniola, and in Klagenfurt for Carinthia. The association as a whole operated only until 1849, when it disintegrated into three independent provincial associations. The statute of the association reveals a broad array of scopes, which should be performed by dedicated members of the association and its collaborators, but unfortunately, the association did not have either enough financial resources nor enough talented people, so it limited its activities mainly to the collection of archival material.