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Tag: Antwerpen

  • Unveiling a Second World War Deportation List from Antwerp

    Unveiling a Second World War Deportation List from Antwerp

    A Forgotten List from the War Now Accessible at the Felix Archives

    Sometimes in genealogy, you come across documents that stop you in your tracks. Not just because of their historical importance, but because those documents suddenly connect to real lives, real families. Recently, such a document was added to the Felix Archives in Antwerp: a list of residents who disappeared from the city during World War II. Most of the names are from Jewish families, but it also includes political prisoners and people who were forced to leave their homes.

    Why This Matters for Family History

    Anyone who has ever done family research knows the frustration of missing pieces. You search for a last address, a clue in the population registers, a trace of where someone went—and sometimes the trail just ends. That’s where lists like this can be so powerful. Street by street, it shows who was still in Antwerp and who wasn’t. It’s heartbreaking to read, but at the same time, it gives descendants and researchers something solid to hold on to.

    The 6th District: A Snapshot of a Community

    This particular list comes from Antwerp’s 6th District, an area running from Central Station to the city park and Plantin-Moretuslei. Back then, it was the heart of the city’s Jewish community. Many of the names were people arrested in August and September 1942. For most, their journey ended in Auschwitz-Birkenau. Very few ever returned.

    For those tracing their roots, finding a family name here can be painful, but also illuminating. It might reveal an address you didn’t know, a date you hadn’t found elsewhere, or a detail that suddenly ties your family story together.

    Preserving the Memory

    The original document is now safe at the Felix Archives, where it’s being preserved so future generations can access it. A replica will also be kept at the police heritage centre (erfgoedcentrum van Politie Antwerpen), making sure that this painful chapter of the city’s history remains visible.

    How It Can Help Your Research

    If you’re working on your family tree or trying to piece together the fate of relatives, a document like this can be a key resource. It might help you:

    • Find addresses that show exactly where families lived.
    • Link dates of disappearance with known transport or deportation lists.
    • Compare with other archives—like Kazerne Dossin, Yad Vashem, the Belgian State Archives (Rijksarchief) or local municipal records, to build a fuller picture.

    For me, sources like this remind us that genealogy isn’t only about charts and names. It’s about people, their lives, and their stories—stories that were often cut short but deserve to be remembered and told.

    References:

    https://www.politieantwerpen.be/over-ons/erfgoedcentrum

    https://felixarchief.antwerpen.be

    https://www.vrt.be/vrtnws/nl/2025/08/26/antwerpen-stadsarchief-deportatielijst-wo-ii

  • Stolpersteine in Antwerp: From Controversy to Recognition

    Stolpersteine in Antwerp: From Controversy to Recognition

    In 2012, a heated controversy arose in Antwerp regarding the plan to install so-called Stolpersteine – literally “stumbling stones.” These memorial stones, an initiative by German artist Gunter Demnig, are embedded in the pavement in front of the former residences of people who were deported or murdered by the Nazis. The brass plaques bear the name, date of birth, date of deportation, and—if known—the date of death of the victim. The project aims to keep the memory of individual victims tangible and visible in the public space.

    Nevertheless, this initiative led to division in Antwerp. Some Jewish organisations and community representatives felt it was inappropriate for people to walk on these stones or for them to become dirty. Concerns were also raised about the project’s commercial aspect and the artist’s financial compensation. Among others, the Forum of Jewish Organisations and the Central Jewish Consistory of Belgium expressed objections at the time. As a result, Mayor Bart De Wever decided not to allow the installation of Stolpersteine in public space.

    In the following years, the debate continued. Supporters emphasised the power of the personal and local approach of the project. Over time, resistance softened, especially as the project was embraced by many other cities, including several in Belgium.

    In 2023, Antwerp reversed its policy. In consultation with Jewish organisations, the city allowed Stolpersteine to be placed, with the consent of victims’ families. Later that year, the first stones were officially inaugurated. This marked a significant shift toward shared remembrance and historical recognition.

    Milestones in Antwerp

    • Before 2018: Two Stolpersteine were already placed.
    • 2018: Official policy change allowing Stolpersteine in the city.
    • From 2018 onward: Active placement by the Struikelstenen Antwerpen initiative.
    • By May 2025: Over 250 stones in more than 100 streets across Antwerp.

    Neighbourhoods with Stolpersteine

    • Berchem
    • Borgerhout
    • Deurne
    • Hoboken
    • Merksem
    • Wilrijk
    • Borsbeek

    Poetsdag – May 8, 2025

    To mark the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II, a special cleaning day is being held on May 8, 2025. Volunteers will clean and polish the Stolpersteine to ensure the names remain legible. The event is coordinated by Struikelstenen Antwerpen in collaboration with:

    • Schools
    • Local residents
    • Families of victims

    Sources

    Stolpersteine in Frankfurt am Main

  • Mini-expo at FelixArchief in Antwerp: “Foreigners in a foreign city”

    The FelixArchief (the City Archives of Antwerp: https://felixarchief.antwerpen.be) announced in their recent newsletter from February, sent out via email, that the subject of the mini-expo which will run from February 12, 2019, until Friday, April 5, 2019, will be about “Vreemdelingen in een vreemde stad” (Foreigners in a foreign city). I think that it is worth sharing, hence this post with a translation of the original announcement

    (please note, the translation is my responsibility and was not specifically endorsed by the FelixArchief. I’ve included the full URL with the original announcement below the translated text.)

    In 1839, the then Sûreté Publique (State Security Service), was commissioned to check all foreign nationals on Belgian territory. In order to gather the necessary information about each foreign national, the State turned to the cities and towns. They were instructed to keep a close eye on every stranger and to forward documents with information to Brussels, where they were kept in a central file.

    Antwerp started in 1840 with the

    (more…)
  • The Joodsche Almanak / Almanach Juif issued in 1934 by J. Fuss and J. Salpeter

    The Joodsche Almanak / Almanach Juif issued in 1934 by J. Fuss and J. Salpeter

    In 1934 an almanac in Yiddish, titled “Joodsche Almanak” / “Almanach Juif”, was published by J. Fuss and J. Salpeter. Edition “Progrés” was issued in Antwerp at Lange Kievitstraat 66.

    In the publishers’ introduction which was originally written in Yiddish, they explained the intention of the Almanac.  For your convenience I have translated it into English (not word-for-word):

    In our young Jewish community we felt already for a long time the need for a handbook which will help the Jew in Belgium to get oriented in the new setting and to get to know more about what Belgium has to offer regarding Jewish life which is developing continuously.

    Now with the closure of the Belgian borders for new immigrants, and with the

    (more…)

  • Updated website for Antwerp City Archives (Felixarchief)

    The city archives of Antwerp (known as Felixarchief) has updated its website. On their website you can read, among others, the following about the update:

    Thanks to the new search function you can find a relevant search result faster and more efficiently. Filters allow you to define a relevant time period or limit a search to a few specific detail entries. […] Thanks to a new algorithm, results are not returned in a randomized order, they appear higher in the result as they become more relevant.

    In the search guides you can read briefly how you search in certain popular archive series and you will always find a direct link to the series.
    (Source: https://felixarchief.antwerpen.be/nieuwspagina/welkom-nieuwe-site, Retrieved on November 27th, 2018)

    Innovation is (always) fun, but it will certainly require some adjustment from the users because the new website is now, compared to the earlier version, completely overhauled.

    Visit their website through the following URL: https://felixarchief.antwerpen.be

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