The KARTA community was founded in January 1982 in Warsaw during the martial law in Poland. Their first initiative was an illegal underground newspaper, named „Karta”, focusing on political commentaries (19 issues). In 1987 the Karta editorial team initiated the Eastern Archive - a social movement documenting the concealed and distorted "Eastern" past. Since 1990 KARTA acts legally – two legal entities established then were merged in 1996 into one KARTA Centre Foundation.

Today KARTA Centre Foundation is a book and magazine publisher (among other titles „Karta” quarterly), organizes exhibitions and educational events, like „History at hand” competition for youngsters. KARTA runs the biggest private archive in Poland, which covers the history of Poland and the whole region in the 20th century. Documentary archive consists of a significant collection of underground newspapers and books, but also "Solidarity" movement documents can be found there (officially recognized as part of UNESCO heritage). The huge photographic archive (more than 290 000 items) is easily searchable by its dedicated website, while oral history archive, co-owned with the History Meeting House in Warsaw, is the biggest archive in Poland of such type. As an NGO, KARTA can receive public funds, but does not have any stable budget.

Detailed history of KARTA can be found here.