Metadata: Textielcentrale in Kortrijk
Collection
- Country:
- Belgium
- Holding institution:
- State Archives in Kortrijk
- Holding institution (official language):
- Rijksarchief te Kortrijk
- Postal address:
- Guido Gezellestraat 1, 8500 Kortrijk
- Phone number:
- +32 (0)56 21 32 68
- Reference number:
- SA-Kortrijk-516-334
- Title:
- Textielcentrale in Kortrijk
- Title (official language):
- Textielcentrale te Kortrijk
- Creator/accumulator:
- Warencentrale Textiel; Office central du Textile
- Date(s):
- 1940/1945
- Extent:
- 1.63 linear metres
- Scope and content:
- This small archival fonds – once probably a part of the larger archives of the Textielcentrale, preserved in ARA-AGR – is of crucial importance for the reconstruction of the ‘Jewish presence’ in the Belgian textile industry. It contains envelopes constituting small files (ordered by family name, or name of the business) on ‘Jewish businesses’ whose entire inventory was bought. The files consist of a delivery note (verzendingsnota) including, as attachments, a fairly detailed overview of the stock, a report on the nature of the goods and various bookkeeping documents (e.g. invoices). Occasionally we also find correspondence with the concerned business owner. In total the fonds consists of several hundreds of files.
- Administrative/biographical history:
- The creation of the Warencentrale Textiel / Office central du Textile (Textielcentrale in short) in June-August 1940 was a consequence of the occupier’s corporatist reform of the Belgian economy. The Textielcentrale supervised the production and distribution of textile goods, and became one of the most important Warencentrales. Belgium was an important producer of flax and synthetic fibre – strategic but scarce raw materials for the German war economy. As was the general rule, 30% of production was reserved for the Belgian market, while the remaining 70% was intended for the German war machine. During the war the Textielcentrale, managed by Belgian collaborators, would become an obedient instrument in the hands of the occupier. Relevant for this guide is the involvement of the Textielcentrale in the ‘dejudaisation’ (‘Aryanization’) and spoliation of the Belgian textile industry. Through the professional organisation SA Textile Corporation, based in Kortrijk, the stocks of liquidated ‘Jewish businesses’ were acquired, rated, redistributed and shipped. The proceeds were deposited on a blocked account of the infamous spoliation bank Société Française de Banque et de Dépôts or, in the case of smaller sums, transferred to the unfortunate business owners. (Studiecommissie betreffende het lot van de bezittingen van de leden van de Joodse gemeenschap van België, geplunderd of achtergelaten tijdens de oorlog 1940-1945, De bezittingen van de slachtoffers van de Jodenvervolging in België: spoliatie, rechtsherstel, bevindingen van de Studiecommissie., Brussel, Diensten van de Eerste Minister, 2001, p. 81-85; P. Nefors, Industriële collaboratie in België. De Galopindoctrine, de Emissiebank en de Belgische industrie, Leuven, Van Halewyck, 2000, pp. 80-83; R. van Doorslaer, E. Debruyne, F. Seberechts & N. Wouters (ed.), Gewillig België. Overheid en Jodenvervolging tijdens de Tweede Wereldoorlog., Antwerpen/Brussel, Meulenhoff/Manteau en SOMA, 2007, pp. 422-423.)
- Access points: locations:
- Belgium
- System of arrangement:
- The files are ordered alphabetically by name of the business or business owner.
- Finding aids:
- There is an unpublished list (2007).
- Yerusha Network member:
- State Archives of Belgium
