These Almanacs make it possible to list tenants and/or owners of a building, trace how an individual moved around the City of Brussels or the suburbs and track any changes or modifications to their profession.

These lists of people were produced in collaboration with the municipal administrations and are very useful for research, but they are clearly not exhaustive compared to more official sources such as population registers, as personal situations could change very quickly.

The original versions of the Trade and Industry Almanacs kept at the City Archives can no longer be consulted due to the deterioration of the paper. The digital collection available online dates from 1820 to 1969 and is not complete despite the many additions made by the Belgian Royal Library. Telephone directories for later periods can be consulted in the reading room of the City Archives only.

The series of Trade and Industry Almanacs is supplemented by the uploading of other almanacs (Pocket Almanacs, Royal Almanacs and Court Almanacs), which also provide a great deal of information about public life in Belgium and Brussels in the 19th and 20th centuries, as well as in more distant times, particularly the second half of the 18th century. These are very important sources and can help identify officials, soldiers, people and public or private institutions.

The magnifying glass (top left) should be used to make the pages easier to read on the screen.