Okresný úrad vo Veľkej Bytči

  • District Office in Veľká Bytča
Identifier
26196
Language of Description
English
Dates
1923 - 1945
Level of Description
Fonds
Languages
  • Slovak
Scripts
  • Latin
Source
EHRI

Extent and Medium

52,77 linear meters, paper documents

Biographical History

The District Office in Veľká Bytča was a state administration body. It was established during the period of 1st Czechoslovak Republic (1918 – 1938) and it existed also during the period of the Slovak state/ Slovak Republic (1939 – 1945). This office was originally enforced by the Law No.126/1920 Coll., which entered into effect on 1 January 1923. The District Office in Veľká Bytča, was subordinated to the Považská County (Považská župa), which was seated in Turčiansky sv. Martin in the years 1923 – 1928, and the Ministry of Interior. After the 1928 reform of state administration in Czechoslovakia resulted in the repeal of counties and County Offices, district offices in the Slovak territory were subordinated to the Country Office in Bratislava (Krajinský úrad v Bratislave). Soon after the creation of the Slovak state (March 14, 1939) its state administration was reorganized and the District Office in Veľká Bytča was subordinated to the Ministry of Interior of the Slovak Republic (pursuant to the Law No. 190/1939 effective from 1 January 1940). In matters falling within the competence of other ministries, regulations and instructions of these ministries were implemented. Since 1 January 1940, this district was incorporated into the newly established Trenčianska County (Trenčianska župa) with the seat in the city of Trenčín. Main representative of the district was called the District Chief (Okresný náčelník) who was responsible for the state administration in the district. From 1 January 1940 District Chief was subordinated to the respected County Office and the Ministry of Interior. District Offices were superior to the notary offices which were the lowest level bodies of the state administration in Slovakia 1938 ¬– 1945. There were 9 notary offices with 26 municipalities in the competence of the District Office in Veľká Bytča. Due to the fact that in the period 1938 – 1945 the majority of anti-Jewish measures in Slovakia was practically realized by the state administration bodies archival documents of District Offices represent some of the most important sources for the research of Holocaust in Slovakia, both on the state and regional levels.

Archival History

Fonds was inventarized by Magda Kozlíková in 1964. First rough attempt to systematic processing of the files was realized by S. Kamas since 1955.

Acquisition

No data available.

Scope and Content

Fonds of the District Office in Veľká Bytča, as the state administration body at the regional level, contains the documents concerning political, economic and social situation in this district during the period 1923 – 1945. Among the 74 linear meters of the archival material, it contains various particular information about the history of Jews before 1938 and mainly during the period of the Hlinka Slovak People´s Party regime when the anti-Semitic measures came in force and Jewish community was systematically persecuted. Many documents retain the anti-Semitic measures and their realization in the district of Veľká Bytča regarding the ban of publishing the newspapers written in Hebrew, list of Jewish belonging found during the home searches realized already in 1939, list of the Jews who own cars, lists of the Jewish properties in the printing enterprises, etc. Question and particular steps of the so-called process of Aryanization is also adequately noted. Several documents provide with the list of Temporary administrators of Jewish households, various regulations of concerning Jewish property and its confiscation as well as the orders to the auctions of the Jewish moveable belongings. There are various documents retaining the establishing of the labor camps for the Jews in Slovakia and limitation of the Jews in different professions, special attention is paid to the doctors. Fonds contains also information about the practical realization of deportations in 1942 in Veľká Bytča district, including the latter evidence of the Jews who had a valid exception in 1943. One specific document informs about organized trips of the Jews to the Suľovské hills what significantly exemplifies the control over every day of the Jewish inhabitants in this district.

Appraisal

No data available.

Accruals

No accruals expected.

System of Arrangement

The documents are arranged chronologically and numerically, by the department.

Conditions Governing Access

Accessible.

Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements

Undammaged.

Finding Aids

  • Printed inventory Okresný úrad vo Veľkej Bytči (1923 – 1945), author Magda Kozlíková, 1964.

Archivist Note

Fonds was identified and described by Michala Lônčíková and Ján Hlavinka.

Rules and Conventions

EHRI Guidelines for Description v.1.0