Metadata: Handelsregister reinscriptions
Collection
- Country:
- Belgium
- Holding institution:
- National Archives of Belgium 2 – Joseph Cuvelier Repository
- Holding institution (official language):
- Archives Générales du Royaume 2 – Dépôt Joseph Cuvelier
- Postal address:
- Hopstraat 26-28 / Rue du Houblon 26-28, 1000 Bruxelles
- Phone number:
- +32 (0)2 274 15 00
- Web address:
- http://www.arch.be/
- Email:
- agr_ar_2@arch.be
- Reference number:
- NAB2-Brussels-545-221
- Title:
- Handelsregister reinscriptions
- Title (official language):
- Handelsregister herinschrijvingen
- Creator/accumulator:
- Rechtbank van koophandel; Tribunal de commerce
- Date(s):
- 1944/1964
- Extent:
- 57 linear metres
- Scope and content:
- This fonds consists of various forms (sometimes with attachments) containing basic information on commercial enterprises (i.a. information on the business owner, location, type of activity, etc.). We find material on deletions, modifications etc. as well as reinscriptions of companies already active in Belgium before the Second World War. Many companies had to be reregistered as a result of the fire in the Palais de Justice of Brussels (1944), in which the pre-war files of the handelsregister were destroyed. For this reason, this fonds sometimes contains information on businesses and merchants present in Brussels before the Second World War. (This fonds is indirectly related to the Jewish population.)
- Administrative/biographical history:
- The Rechtbank van koophandel / Tribunal de commerce (Commercial Courts), created in 1791 in the Verenigde Departementen, are composed of lay judges experienced in commercial cases, as well as a professional judge as chairman. Today, Belgium counts 27 Commercial Courts. They deal with commercial disputes between traders within the framework of commercial law (regarding sums totalling over €1,860) as well as all sorts of conflicts and applications of business and corporate law (notably bankruptcies). In addition, they deal with appeals against judgements of the Justice of the Peace in commercial matters. Since 1927, the Commercial Courts also held the so-called handelsregister (company register), in which all traders and companies active in Belgium had to register. Since 2003 the handelsregister is integrated in the Belgian database Kruispuntbank van Ondernemingen. As a consequence of all these tasks and competences, the (still under-exploited) archives of the Commercial Courts are of key importance to the study of the economic history of Belgium – see in particular the bankruptcy files and the judgements in business cases. For prosopographical research too, these archives are of particular interest. Lastly, we point out the series of documents resulting from the ‘extrajudicial’ functions of these courts – the handelsregister but also various types of documents deposited at the court (e.g. expert reports, minutes of public sales, procurations, contracts). (http://justitie.belgium.be/nl/rechterlijke_orde/hoven_en_rechtbanken/rechtbank_van_koophandel/; K. Velle & P. Drossens, “De rechterlijke macht”, in P. van den Eeckhout & G. Vanthemsche (ed.), Bronnen voor de studie van het hedendaagse België 19e – 21e eeuw. Tweede herziene en uitgebreide uitgave, Brussel, Koninklijke Commissie voor Geschiedenis / Commission Royale d’Histoire, 2009, pp. 619-650.)
- Subject terms:
- Trade and commerce
- Finding aids:
- There is a transfer list, as well as various card indexes. Searches are however conducted by the personnel of ARA2-AGR2. Researchers are asked to send their request, as detailed as possible, to agr_ar_2@arch.be.
- Yerusha Network member:
- State Archives of Belgium
