Metadata: Czech Governorate, Prague - presidium - secret
Collection
- Country:
- Czechia
- Holding institution:
- National Archives of the Czech Republic
- Holding institution (official language):
- Národní archiv
- Postal address:
- Archivní 2257/4, 149 00 Praha 4
- Phone number:
- +420 974 847 240
- Web address:
- https://www.nacr.cz
- Email:
- posta@nacr.cz
- Reference number:
- 873/1
- Title:
- Czech Governorate, Prague - presidium - secret
- Title (official language):
- České místodržitelství Praha - prezidium - tajné
- Creator/accumulator:
- Presidium of the Czech Governorate
- Date(s):
- 1852/1920
- Date note:
- 1852/1920 (1937)
- Language:
- Czech
- German
- Extent:
- 3.35 linear metres
- Type of material:
- Textual material
- Physical condition:
- good
- Scope and content:
-
The documents of the Presidium of the Governorate - secret form a separate part of the Presidium of the Governorate fonds. These are files marked 'secret files' - 'Geheimakten'. They were entered separately in the secret files protocol and stored separately from the other files of the Presidium's registry. Secret files were those relating to police, military or intelligence matters. These were, for example, files on the financing of the secret police fund, on the compilation and distribution of instructions in the event of mobilisation and war, on police actions and measures, or on the encryption of secret documents. In other cases, the Czech Governor made decisions as to which files were to be classified as secret and given special official treatment. In terms of content, the files are relatively monothematic. They include various reports and orders from superior authorities (Ministry of the Interior, Prime Minister, Supreme Police Office) and subordinate offices of the Governorate, instructions and orders from the Governor to subordinate offices - especially the Prague Police Directorate, district governorates, and the Czech Provincial Committee.
In terms of Jewish-related content, the secret presidium files can be studied mainly as reports of police informers on planned anti-Jewish actions, both from the Czech and German population in Bohemia. The reports of the governor or the Prague police director illustrate well the growing anti-Semitic sentiment in Czech-German society, not only in the popular strata but also in the Czech-German political scene, the Czech Provincial Assembly and the Chamber of Deputies of the Imperial Council. These anti-Jewish tendencies culminated in the well-known case of Leopold Hilsner accused of a crime in Polná in 1899.
Jewish-related material can be found in Inventory 1963, Vol. I.: Inv. no. 2; reg. no. A 2; 1854-1860: Anti-Jewish letter. Inv. no. 1209; reg. no. 34; 16 Feb. 1883: Letter from the Ministry of the Interior about efforts to win the Young Bohemian Party to an anti-Jewish stance. Inv. no. 1259; reg. no. 101; 14 June 1883: Report of the Prague police director on the German election committee and its anti-Jewish tendencies. According to the Inventory 1963, Vol. II: Inv. no. 1308; reg. no. 158; 13 September 1883: Record of the report of the Prague police director on the pro-government tendencies of German Jews in Prague and on anti-Jewish incitement in Rumburk and Trutnov. Inv. no. 1743; reg. no. 33; 13 April 1887: Confidential report of the Governor on the growing anti-Semitism and political apathy of the German population in Bohemia and the failure of MP Pickert to get other MPs to return to the German-National Club at the Imperial Council in Vienna. Inv. no. 1853; reg. no. 48; 11.4.1888: Confidential report to the Governor on the opinion of Dr. Schmeykal and on the condemnation of Knight Schöner, which will weaken extreme nationalism and anti-Semitism.
- Archival history:
- The documents of the fonds were in the possession of their originator until 1909. In 1909-1918, the oldest documents from the Governor's Registry were transferred to the archives. After 1918, when the Governor's Office was abolished or its agenda was transferred to the National Committee, the remaining archival material was transferred to the newly established Archives of the Ministry of the Interior. The rest of the fonds did not reach the archives until 1944-1945. The first complete archival processing took place in 1962/1963, when a two-part partial inventory was drawn up.
- Administrative/biographical history:
- Governors held their offices from 1567 until 1749, when the office of governor was abolished and replaced by the Royal Representation and Chamber. Between 1763 and 1849, the Bohemian Provincial Governorate functioned as the main administrative office replacing the governors. The Bohemian Governorate was established on 1 January 1850 and took over all tasks from the former Bohemian Governorate. It was responsible for the whole of the Czech Kingdom and was subordinate to the Ministry of the Interior in Vienna and in some matters to other ministries. In addition to representing the country, it was responsible for the police, education and teaching, religion, and trade and construction matters. It also made proposals to the Ministry of the Interior/Emperor for the appointment of new district governors and district mayors. It supervised the Provincial Committee and confirmed its decisions and decrees. The scope of its powers was determined by an imperial decision of 14 September 1852. Its organisational structure comprised presidium, directorate of auxiliary offices and ten departments. During the existence of the Governorate, the number of departments varied. The Governorate ceased to exist on 30 October 1918 and its agenda was taken over by the newly established National Committee.
- Subject terms:
- Antisemitism
- System of arrangement:
- The documents are divided into two thematic units: 1. Auxiliary official books - protocols of secret files for the years of 1853-1877, 1878-1915 and 1916-1937 plus 1 index for the years 1868-1892; 2. The actual file material - sub-divided into two handling periods. The first - 1853-1865: stored by individual fascicles, marked with a capital letter and an Arabic numeral. The capital letter refers to the name of the person in the file or to the initial letter of the subject heading of the file. The second - 1866-1918: files arranged chronologically by year and numbers of the secret protocols. In total, the fonds contains 4 official books and the file material of 2260 inv. nos. in 26 boxes.
- Finding aids:
- Churaň M., Stupková M., Presidium českého místodržitelství, katalog tajných spisů (PMT), 1853–1918. Inventory 1963, 772 p., Inv. No. 502/1–2.
- Links to finding aids:
- https://vademecum.nacr.cz/vademecum/index4Clear.jsp
- Yerusha Network member:
- Jewish Museum Prague
- Author of the description:
- JMP survey