Archive of the Town od Vidnava

Collection

Scope and content:: The fonds contains materials of self-government of Vidnava from the 15th century to 1945. Jews are mentioned in documents concerning non-contested Jewish matters, 1792-1873 and 1792-1874 (rules of and correspondence with the regional office in Opava, the agenda of individual Jewish families, especially concerning the register of births, marriages and deaths, and correspondence with the Vidnava religious community) (inv. 509); state and regional regulations about Jews, 1747-1870 with a register from 1790-1874 (inv. 510); circulars; and Jewish taxes, 1754-1834 (inv. 511). Jewish-related documents may also be found in files concerning rights of domicile and home certificates, 1850-1920 (inv. 282-286, 608, 692); books of accepted burghers, law of burghers, 1744-1907 (inv. 290-291, 501; census, register of births, deaths and marriages and conscription by house numbers, 1830-1944 (inv. 287-289, 527, 691, 758, 926-927); immigration and residence permits 1816-74 (inv. 531, 532); trade licences, termination of trades and lists of trades, 1778-1945 (inv. 366, 515-517, 719, 766); religious matters, 1792-1873 (inv. 572); land plot protocols 1836-1900 (inv. 344-345); and the town chronicle, 1931-42, with a retrospective (inv. 370). Unarranged files include land books, 1498/1550-1854 (orig. inv. 343a/1-24).

Archival history:: Documents of self-government were stored at the town hall, where the older materials suffered due to frequent fires. In 1951 the fonds was transferred to the regional archives in Janovice u Rýmařova and in 1959 to the branch office of the district archives of Jeseník in Javornik. The fonds was arranged in 1966-67, moved to the central office in Šumperk in 1987 and transferred to the newly formed state district archives in Jeseník in 1996.

Administrative/biographical history:: The village of Vidnava (called Weidenau in German until 1945) was first mentioned around 1235 and given town status around 1268. This status was abolished after 1945 and restored in 2006. The town was administered by a reeve, then from the 14th century by the municipality office (Magistrat). From 1742-67 Vidnava was the seat of the provincial government for the Austrian part of the principality of Nisa, which had been divided by the Silesian wars, and from 1742-83 it was also the seat of the imperial official, called the provincial elder. Vidnava was the seat of the district court and the revenue office from 1850-1938 and the Bezirksamt (political and judicial district office) from 1855-67. The settlements of Vidnavské Fojtství, Nová Malá Kraš and Stachlovice were attached to Vidnava in 1924. There was a Jewish presence in Vidnava from 1726 when eight Jewish families were allowed to stay there under the terms of the tolerance tax. A Jewish prayer house was established at 44 Judengasse (later Tempelgasse) and the Vidnava Jews had their own religious community and a cemetery, which was destroyed in 1940.

Subject terms:: Census; Land; Land registries; Legal status of Jews; Migration; Migration--Immigration; Residency issues of Jews; Trade and commerce; Vital records; Vital records--Birth records; Vital records--Death records; Vital records--Marriage records

System of arrangement:: The fonds is arranged as follows: Deeds; Books - I. Books ensuring the rights of the town as a whole - A. Books of the municipal legislation, B. Books of the municipal finances, C. Books of the municipal administration; Books; II. Books ensuring private rights of the town inhabitants; III. Books of various corporations; IV. Historical works; V. Books of town estates; Files - a) registry aids, b) files.

Finding aids:: Zuber, Rudolf: Archiv města Vidnava 1463-1945 (1948). Inventář, 1967, 65 s., ev.č. 4. A finding aid is available online.