Administration of Pecica district

Collection

Holding institution:: Arad County division of the Romanian National Archives

Holding institution (official language):: Arhivele Naţionale Române. Direcţia Judeţeană Arad

Scope and content:: This fonds comprises the files of the administration of Pecica district in Arad county from 1935 to 1950. It contains records concerning the administration of the villages of the district, inventories of their public goods, lists of their employees, files relating to the agrarian reform of 1945, registers of vital records, registers of agricultural properties and taxes, budget sheets and payrolls and records concerning the alimentation of the hospitals. For the time between 1940 and 1944 it includes records, instructions and circular orders concerning the status of the Jewish population, the implementation of the antisemitic legislation of the Romanian government, expropriation of Jewish properties and forced labour. For the period after 1945, the fonds contains documents concerning the restitution of Jewish properties (such as file no. 116 from 1945).

Archival history:: The fonds was originally held by the Popular Council of Arad county. It was transferred to the Arad County division of the Romanian National Archives after 1989, where it was inventoried and made available to researchers.

Administrative/biographical history:: Pecica district was established by decision of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of 9 October 1925, in accordance with the law issued on 14 June 1925 by the Romanian parliament concerning the administrative unification of Greater Romania. It included 12 villages in Arad county and had its seat in Pecica. It was headed by an administrator nominated by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and subordinated to the prefect of the county, implementing the decisions and instructions issued by the county council. The main task of the district administration was to control and supervise the activity of the mayors’ offices of the villages and to ensure public order and security. The head of the district administration was obliged to visit the villages of the district at least quarterly. This system continued throughout the Second World War and the years following until it was replaced in 1950 by the new administrative model introduced by the newly installed Communist regime.

Subject terms:: Antisemitism; Antisemitism--Antisemitic legislation; Forced labour (of Jews); Plunder; Restitution and compensation

System of arrangement:: The fonds is organised into thematic files which are arranged in chronological order.

Finding aids:: Inventory No. 158, held by the Arad County division of the Romanian National Archives.

Yerusha Network member:: Romanian Institute for the Research of National Minorities

Author of the description:: Attila Gidó (researcher, Institute for Study of National Minorities, Cluj-Napoca), Ladislau Gyémánt (emeritus professor), 2018