View No. 15 (2022)

No. 15 (2022)

ISSN:
1899-1254

Section: Archiwa na świecie

From the Monument Made of Records to the Digital Commemoration. History of International Tracing Service Archives in Bad Arolsen 1945-2020

Przegląd Archiwalny Instytutu Pamięci Narodowej, No. 15 (2022), pages: 167–182

Publication date: 2022-12-30

https://doi.org/10.48261/PAIPN221508

Abstract

The Arolsen Archives holds the world’s largest collection of documents relating to victims and survivors of Nazi persecution. This article deals with the history of this unique organization, known until 2019 as the International Tracing Service (ITS). The article focuses on four aspects. First, it provides a historical description of the search for and documentation of victims of German Nazism up to the early 1950s. At the foundation of this increasingly centralized process was the creation of the ITS by the Allied forces. The second part focuses on various search methods and how the needs of survivors and relatives have changed over time in terms of information. The third part is devoted to how a unique archival collection was created and shaped in the process of searching for and documenting Nazi victims. Finally, the topic of the formation of the relationship between ITS and society is presented in relation to the fundamental question of the archive’s accessibility for scientific research and initiatives connected with remembrance. This discusses how a tracking service that was originally closed became an open and digital centre of information about Nazi persecution.


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                            View No. 15 (2022)

No. 15 (2022)

ISSN:
1899-1254

Data publikacji:
2022-12-30

Dział: Archiwa na świecie