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In depth
The Bundesarchiv (Federal Archives) is the German national archives, with its main facility in Berlin-Lichterfelde and other facilities in Koblenz, Freiburg, and Bayreuth. It holds the records of the German government from the 19th century to the present.
For Article 116 cases, the Bundesarchiv is the primary source of the Reichsbürgergesetz deprivation orders — the documents showing that an ancestor was stripped of German citizenship under the Nazi regime. These orders are essential evidence for restitution claims.
The Bundesarchiv also holds other Nazi-era records relevant to Article 116 cases, including deportation records, concentration camp records, and Gestapo files.
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 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.
The BVA (Bundesverwaltungsamt, Federal Office of Administration) is the German authority in Cologne that processes Article 116 citizenship restitution applications.
The Grundgesetz (Basic Law) is the German constitution, adopted in 1949, which includes Article 116 on citizenship restitution for Nazi-era persecutees.
StAG (Staatsangehörigkeitsgesetz) is the German Nationality Act, which includes §15 providing for naturalization of victims of Nazi persecution and their descendants.
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.