EHRI - Okresný úrad v Martine

Extent and Medium

129 linear meters, paper documents.

Biographical History

The District Office in Martin 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 Martin, was subordinated to the Považská County (Považská župa), which was seated in Turčiansky sv. Martin (today: Martin), as well the District Office itself, 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 Martin 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 Tatranská County (Tatranská župa) with the seat in Ružomberok. 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 16 notary offices with 91 municipalities in the competence of the District Office in Martin. Due to the fact that in the period 1938 – 1945 the majority of anti-Jewish measures in Slovakia was 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 Pavla Baračková and Anna Krivošíková in 1965. Archival processing started in 1956 by Martin Oríšek and the fonds was particularly arranged while dealing with the list of documents dedicated the History of Labor Movement and Communist Party in Czechoslovakia.

Acquisition

No data avialable.

Scope and Content

Archival fonds of the District Office in Martin, as the state administration body at the regional level, contains the documents concerning political, economic, cultural and social situation in this district during the period 1923 – 1945. Fonds is well preserved and among the 129 linear meters it contains various partial information about the history of Jews before 1938 and mainly during the period of the Hlinka Slovak People´s Party regime (1938 – 1945) when the anti-Semitic measures came in force and Jewish community was systematically persecuted. Several documents address the banning of the Jewish Party in 1938 and the activities of Chevra Kadischa in the district. Numerous documents are dedicated to the various steps of the process of so-called Aryanization, concerning the evidence of the Jewish property and enterprises, list of the local Aryanizers and information about the auctions of the former Jewish moveable property. Gradual discrimination Jews in Slovakia and its direct impact on the everyday life is included in the documents regarding the marking of the Jewish shops and Jewish inhabitants by the yellow star, withdrawing driving licenses, revision of the state citizenship, etc. Some files enclose the gradual limiting of Jews in their professions such as dismissal from state and public service and inform about the compulsory labor service. Process of deportations in 1942 is also recorded, in particular by the documents about evidence of the Jewish inhabitants in the district, their concentration and transport to the Concentration center in Poprad. There is a list of Jews from Martin district who were given the so-called "Presidential exemption".

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 v Martine (1923 – 1945), authors Pavla Baračková and Anna Krivošíková, Martin 1965.

Archivist Note

The fonds was identified and described by Michala Lônčíková and Ján Hlavinka.

Rules and Conventions

EHRI Guidelines for Description v.1.0