Archive of the Town of Podivín

Collection

Holding institution (official language):: Státní okresní archiv Břeclav se sídlem v Mikulově

Scope and content:: The fonds of the town of Podivín contains important sources on the history of the Jews, primarily on the relationships between Christians and Jews in the town before 1848: political-administrative matters of Jews from 1778-1813, 1815; complaints relating to Jewish heads of families from 1838-1842, also the entire call number G Jewish matters (registers, matters of property and land, meat stalls, contact with the Christian community, relationship towards Christian servants etc.) from 1789-1862; sewerage in the Jewish political community 1895-1898; dispute between the town and the Jewish community concerning a construction by the cemetery 1894-1896; individual house owners of Jewish origin are listed among the construction (building) files from the years 1868-1931. Attention should also be devoted to the town chronicles from the period of 1848-1939 and the record and lists of the population from 1868-1950.

The unarranged part of the fonds contains a file entitled the Jewish Register, with records of the population of the Jewish political community in Podivín at the beginning of the 20th century, which also contains lists of Podivín Jews apparently before the transport in 1943, an inventory of Jewish houses, as well as applications for the allocation of Jewish property with lists of recipients. This unarranged part of the fonds is a significant source for the history of the holocaust.

Archival history:: Written documents from the oldest periods were stored by the creator in various locations and from 1852 at the town hall. In 1960 the fonds was transferred to the Břeclav District State Archives in Mikulov, where it was arranged in 1964. A small part of the fonds, evidently later additions, remained unarranged.

Administrative/biographical history:: There has been a settlement at Podivín (Kostel in German) since at least the 11th century. From the beginning of the 13th century it was a royal town; from the turn of the 14th and 15th centuries it was relegated to a liege town and with a few exceptions was within the property of the house of Liechtenstein until 1848. In 1788 a regulated municipal office was established here, from 1848 it was an independent municipality. From at least the 15th century onwards there was a sizeable Jewish community in Podivín with its own self government. In the period of 1848/1850-1919 an independent Jewish political community existed here, which in 1919 was merged with the Christian town. The Jewish religious community continued to operate here. During the years of 1850-1855 Podivín belonged to the political district of Hustopeče, in 1855-1868 to Břeclav, in 1868-1949 Hodonín, and from 1949 again to Břeclav. Judicial administration was exercised in the period of 1850-1949 by the district court in Břeclav.

Subject terms:: Antisemitism; Architecture; Cemeteries; Holocaust; Jewish community; Jewish community records; Jewish political activity; Jewish-Christian relations; Land; Real estate

System of arrangement:: The fonds is structured according to the following scheme: I. Charters; II. Official books; III. Files; IV. Accounting dossiers.

Finding aids:: Zemek M, Zimáková A: Městský úřad Podivín 1637 - 1945. Dílčí inventář, 1964, s. 43, ev.č. 115.