Fonds Registers of the College of Aldermen

Collection description

Collection

Country:: Belgium

Holding institution:: Municipality of Anderlecht

Holding institution (official language):: Commune d’Anderlecht

Postal address:: Place du Conseil 1 / Raadsplein 1, 1070 Bruxelles (Anderlecht)

Email:: archives@anderlecht.irisnet.be

Reference number:: MunAnderlecht-Brussels-Fonds Registres du Collège échevinal

Title:: Fonds Registers of the College of Aldermen

Title (official language):: Fonds Registres du Collège échevinal

Creator/accumulator:: Commune d’Anderlecht; Gemeente Anderlecht; Municipality of Anderlecht

Date(s):: 1859/2012

Extent:: ca. 7 linear metres

Scope and content:: These registers contain the minutes of the sessions of the College of Aldermen. Numerous relevant entries can be found by searching the thematic index by keywords such as “culte”, “musée communal” (referring to the ‘department of Hebrew archaeology and Jewish folklore’), “personnels communaux” etc. We notably find entries concerning the department of Hebrew archaeology and Jewish folklore of the Musée Maison d’Érasme, or the raffle organised by the Communauté Israélite Orthodoxe.

Administrative/biographical history:: The municipality is one of the levels of government with which citizens most often come into contact. Its tasks and competences were first established by the decree of 14 December 1789, and by the order of 19 Frimaire year IV [1795-96]. After Belgian independence, the legal framework was provided by the Gemeentewet of 1836 and later the ‘Nieuwe Gemeentewet’ (1988). Since 2002, the organic law regarding municipalities is a competence of the Regions. Until 1980, municipalities were supervised by the provincial and central authorities. Today, there is a division of powers between the federal and regional governments. A municipality is led by a mayor, who is also the head of the local police. He/she is assisted by a college of aldermen, selected from the municipal council. Currently, there are 589 municipalities in Belgium. Before the large-scale fusions in the 1970s – in other words, for a large part of Belgian history – there were 2359 municipalities. The municipality had/has, among others, competences regarding the management of its assets, institutions and staff; municipal revenue and expenditure; Civil Registry; health and safety in public places; urban planning and environment; public works; militia; education; elections etc. This is reflected in the sources held in municipal and city archives. Important general sources include the (sometimes published) minutes of meetings and records of the municipal council and college of aldermen (often indexed by subject). We also refer to all kinds of administrative reports and general correspondence. The series of sources of the Civil Registry (e.g. birth, marriage and death certificates, population registers, registers of arrival and departure) are crucial for historical research on individuals. Relevant for this guide are notably the alien registers (since 1933), and the alien files preserved in some larger cities. Of major importance are also the accounts, correspondence and other material regarding the recognised religions. They contain information on their operation, budgets, assets but also the appointment of ministers, donations to religious communities, various conflicts etc. Building permits and files regarding environmental permits contain information and usually blueprints of buildings. Lastly, in many municipal and city archives there are specific series of sources regarding policy during the First and Second World War. We mention e.g. the various anti-Jewish ordinances, documents regarding the spoliation of the Jews, the so-called Jodenregister (register of Jews), correspondence related to the implementation of the anti-Jewish policies etc. (J. Art & E. Vanhaute (ed.), Inleiding tot de lokale geschiedenis van de 19de en de 20ste eeuw, Gent, Mens & Cultuur, 2003; P. van den Eeckhout, “De gemeenten en de lokale openbare instellingen”, in P. van den Eeckhout & G. Vanthemsche (ed.), Bronnen voor de studie van het hedendaagse België 19e – 21e eeuw. Tweede herziene en uitgebreide uitgave, Brussel, Koninklijke Commissie voor Geschiedenis / Commission Royale d’Histoire, 2009, pp. 31-92.)

Access points: locations:: Anderlecht

Subject terms:: Archeology; Jewish community; Jewish languages; Jewish languages--Hebrew; Museums; Orthodox Judaism

System of arrangement:: The volumes are ordered chronologically.

Access, restrictions:: Consultation and reproduction requires the authorisation of the secretary of the municipality of Anderlecht.

Finding aids:: A thematic index can be found at the back of each register.

Yerusha Network member:: State Archives of Belgium

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