Metadata: Archives of the Arbeidsambt Antwerp; material confiscated by the Krijgsauditoraat Antwerp
Collection
- Country:
- Belgium
- Holding institution:
- State Archives in Antwerp
- Holding institution (official language):
- Rijksarchief te Antwerpen
- Postal address:
- Sanderusstraat 81, 2018 Antwerpen
- Phone number:
- +32 (0)3 236 73 00
- Reference number:
- SAA-Beveren-511-751
- Title:
- Archives of the Arbeidsambt Antwerp; material confiscated by the Krijgsauditoraat Antwerp
- Title (official language):
- Archief van het Arbeidsambt Antwerpen; stukken in beslag genomen door het Krijgsauditoraat Antwerpen
- Creator/accumulator:
- Arbeidsambt Antwerp
- Date(s):
- 1940/1946
- Language:
- Dutch; Flemish
- German
- Extent:
- 4.6 linear metres
- Scope and content:
- This fonds contains archival material produced by the management of the Arbeidsambt in Antwerp and of its departments Arbeidsbestel and Steun. Apart from regulations and legislation concerning the employment policy of the occupier, we firstly note general documents concerning the organisation, management and daily operation of the Arbeidsambt, such as protocols, correspondence and circulars, series of instructions related to various subjects, notes and memoranda, periodical reports of other branches and Arbeidsambten, documents concerning medical examinations etc. The documents from the section ‘Dienstverplichting’ (compulsory service) are probably of the most importance for this guide. We note correspondence (incl. on the implementation of the so-called 2nd ‘Jewish ordinance’ – see no. 123), lists of persons exempted from service, information forms, instructions, reports etc. The fonds also contains material concerning the (compulsory) employment in Germany and northern France such as notes, instructions and correspondence.
- Archival history:
- This fonds probably contains only a fraction of the former archives of the Arbeidsambt Antwerp.
- Administrative/biographical history:
- The Arbeidsambt in Antwerp was a local branch of the Rijksarbeidsambt (‘national employment office’). The creation of the Rijksarbeidsambt as successor to the Nationale Dienst voor Arbeidsbemiddeling en Toezicht (which itself originated from the pre-war Nationale Dienst voor Arbeid en Werkloosheid) was in line with the employment policy of the German Military Administration. The Rijksarbeidsambt was in charge of supporting the unemployed and making them available for employers. It played a crucial role in the Belgian contribution to the war economy, notably by actively collaborating in the execution of the programmes of voluntary and (from 1942) compulsory employment. The organisation of forced labour by Jews (see the ordinance of 11 March 942) was also entrusted to the Rijksarbeidsambt. Robert Van der Heyden (VNV, DeVlag) of the Arbeidsambt of Antwerp is said to have carried out this task “with excessive zeal”. A total of 1520 Jews were ‘recruited’ to work for the Organisation Todt, in northern France, or at the camp Les Mazures in the French Ardennes. The Arbeidsambt of Antwerp also provided Belgian moving companies (such as Verhuizingen Arthur Pierre) with the extra workforce needed for the numerous transports in the context of the systematic plunder of Jewish homes (the so-called Möbelaktion). (B. Willems, Inventaris van het archief van het Arbeidsambt Antwerpen; stukken in beslag genomen door het krijgsauditoraat Antwerpen, I 74 (Rijksarchief te Antwerpen), Brussel, ARA-AGR, 2012.)
- Access, restrictions:
- Consultation requires the authorisation of the College van Procureurs-Generaal.
- Finding aids:
- B. Willems, Inventaris van het archief van het Arbeidsambt Antwerpen; stukken in beslag genomen door het krijgsauditoraat Antwerpen, I 74 (Rijksarchief te Antwerpen), Brussel, ARA-AGR, 2012.
- Yerusha Network member:
- State Archives of Belgium
