Archive of the Town of Chomutov

Collection

Holding institution (official language):: Státní okresní archiv Chomutov se sídlem v Kadani

Scope and content:: Documents concerning the Jewish population can be found in books originating after 1850 and in the files of the municipal office from 1850-1945. They include books of minutes from meetings of the committee of the Jewish religious community in Chomutov from 1874-1919, including the statutes of the Jewish community in Chomutov, and a book of minutes from the meetings of the Council for Religious Affairs and various commissions and committees from 1927-37. Register books include registers of births of persons of Jewish origin in Údlice from 1853-61 and a municipal register of births, marriages and deaths of persons of Jewish origin in Chomutov. Files from 1938-45 include documents concerning Jewish property and its “Aryanisation”, a list of Jewish refugees from Chomutov and a list of Jewish owners forced to give away their collections to the municipal museum in Chomutov. The building files of the municipal office contain the cash book of the association for the construction of a synagogue from 1868-73. The fonds also includes the complete 1857 census in which Jewish status was recorded.

Archival history:: The documents of the municipal office in Chomutov were originally stored in the town hall. In 1945 and later years a large part of the registry was destroyed and the rest was given in 1957-60 to the District Archives in Chomutov (called the district archives from 1960 and the state district archives since 1992). In 1969-74 the files were organised and inventoried. Some documents were later transferred from other archives but were not arranged.

Administrative/biographical history:: The town of Chomutov originated in the first half of the 13th century as a serf town and bought itself out of serfdom in 1605. From the 18th century it was a royal city. A controlled municipality office was established in 1785 and a municipal office in 1849. It was an autonomous municipality from 1849, falling after 1850 within the judicial and political district of Chomutov. A large Jewish community lived in the town in the middle ages but was decimated during the Hussite wars. In 1517 Jews were expelled from the town. The Jewish population increased again after 1848, and in 1874 a separate Jewish religious community in Chomutov was established. In 1893 it was incorporated into the united Jewish religious community for the political district of Chomutov.

Subject terms:: Census; Financial records; Jewish community; Jewish community records; Museums; Plunder; Plunder--Aryanisation; Plunder--Forced closures; Real estate; Refugees; Synagogues; Vital records; Vital records--Birth records; Vital records--Death records; Vital records--Marriage records

System of arrangement:: The arranged part of the fonds is divided into five basic groups: I Charters from 1376-1838; II Books (1254) 1407-1945 (1946) - divided into books before 1850 and books after 1850; III Files - divided into registry finding aids and files (the files being subdivided into files from 1497-1783 (1892), files from the period of the municipal office (1628) 1784-1850 (1887), files from the period of the municipal office from (1687) 1850-1945, and files of an alum pit from 1553 -1859, files of the forestry office from 1607-1945 (1946), and files of the building authority from 1598-1945; IV Accounting material - divided into economic and financial accounts and accounts of the delegated agenda; V Maps and plans from 1660-1945.

Finding aids:: V. Vítek, Archiv města Chomutov 1376–1941. Inventář. I. díl. Chomutov 1972 (archivní pomůcka č. 139; zahrnuje listiny a knihy); V. Vítek, Archiv města Chomutov 1497–1945 (1946). Inventář. II. díl. Chomutov 1975 (archivní pomůcka č. 140; zahrnuje registraturní pomůcky, spisový materiál, účetní materiál)