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The Arolsen Archives (International Center on Nazi Persecution) is the world's largest archive on Nazi persecution, holding records relevant to Article 116 restitution claims.
In depth
The Arolsen Archives (International Center on Nazi Persecution), based in Bad Arolsen, Germany, is the world's largest archive on Nazi persecution. It holds over 30 million documents on victims of the Nazi regime, including concentration camp records, deportation lists, and Gestapo files.
For Article 116 cases, the Arolsen Archives can provide documentation of persecution — particularly for ancestors whose deprivation orders were lost or never issued, but who were nonetheless persecuted by the Nazi regime.
The Arolsen Archives are searchable online and provide copies of documents to descendants and researchers. Ancestra coordinates with the Arolsen Archives for Article 116 cases that require additional persecution documentation.
Related terms
Article 116 of the German Basic Law (Grundgesetz) restores German citizenship to those deprived of it by the Nazi regime between 1933 and 1945, and to their descendants.
The Bundesarchiv (Federal Archives) is the German national archives, which holds the Reichsbürgergesetz deprivation records needed for Article 116 cases.
The Grundgesetz (Basic Law) is the German constitution, adopted in 1949, which includes Article 116 on citizenship restitution for Nazi-era persecutees.
The Reichsbürgergesetz (Reich Citizenship Law) of 1935 was the Nazi-era law that stripped German Jews of their citizenship, and whose victims are eligible for Article 116 restitution.
StAG (Staatsangehörigkeitsgesetz) is the German Nationality Act, which includes §15 providing for naturalization of victims of Nazi persecution and their descendants.
The BVA (Bundesverwaltungsamt, Federal Office of Administration) is the German authority in Cologne that processes Article 116 citizenship restitution applications.