Archive of the Town of Mikulov

Collection

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

Scope and content:: The fonds contains written documents from the self-government of the town of Mikulov, which after 1919 also had jurisdiction over the population of the Jewish town in Mikulov, which was an independent Jewish political community during the period of 1848-1919. For the study of Jewish history, the following files will be of particular interest: a charter of prince Maxmilian von Dietrichstein from 1642, decreeing the Jews must bear one quarter of military obligations; files of the municipal office before 1850 relating to Jewish matters, lands, trade and contact with Christians from the years of 1783-1847, various contracts relating to Jews from 1756-1798, Jewish families from 1803-1844 and among other matters written documents on Jewish schools (synagogues?) and meat stalls from the period of 1801-1844; documents on the merging of the Christian town of Mikulov with the Jewish political community in 1919-1921, other individual documents, e.g. purchase of building № 99 in the Jewish district in 1868, and a file on Jewish matters from 1939. Attention should also be devoted to other written documents of the fonds, e.g. foundation matters, records of members of the community, town chronicles from the period of 1919-1946 and others.

Archival history:: The written documents of the town of Mikulov were originally stored at the town hall, in the premises of the town office. In 1784 they were destroyed by a fire and only remnants remained. From the end of the 18th century the municipal registry was divided into 18 material groups, including group II Jewish matters, Jewish trade, XIV National Guard and XVII Police matters. However, it is necessary to emphasise here that until 1919 the Jewish community in Mikulov had its own self-government and the fonds of the town of Mikulov contains only limited documents on Jewish matters After 1850 the registry was arranged chronologically according to individual years. From this period, and also from the period of 1938-1945, only fragmentary documentation was preserved. In the period of 1947-1948 the fonds was taken over by the District Archives in Mikulov, where it was arranged and inventoried 1964-1965. Because this arrangement was inadequate for today's requirements, the fonds was designated an unarranged fonds in 2014 and will be arranged again.

Administrative/biographical history:: The town of Mikulov (Nikolsburg in German) was first mentioned in a falsified charter from 1173. During the period of 1245-1560 it belonged to the property of the noble house of Liechtenstein and in the period of 1575-1848 to the house of Dietrichstein. Jewish settlement in Mikulov is individually documented in the 14th century. There is speculation about the existence of a Jewish community in the 15th century, which is continually documented from the beginning of the 16th century. In the period of the 17th-19th centuries it was home to the most significant and largest Jewish community in Moravia and until 1851 it was the seat of the Moravian provincial rabbi. In 1785 a regulated municipal office was established in Mikulov, and from 1849 it was an independent municipality. The self-government of the Jewish quarter was always separated from the Christian town-from 1849/1850 a separate Jewish political community existed here, which was not merged with the Christian town until 1919. In the period of 1850-1960 the town of Mikulov belonged to the political district of Mikulov and the judicial district of Mikulov.

Subject terms:: Education; Education--Schools and universities; Jewish community; Jewish-Christian relations; Land; Legal status of Jews; Military; Nobility; Real estate; Ritual slaughter; Synagogues; Trade and commerce

System of arrangement:: The fonds is currently arranged as follows: I. Charters; II. Official books; III. Files, IV. Accounting dossiers. It is likely that this scheme will be maintained when the fonds is rearranged.

Finding aids:: Zemek M: Městský úřad Mikulov 1625-1943. Dílčí inventář, 1965, s. 30, ev.č. 113. (zrušený inventář)