Transformation of Wiedergutmachung – New Project at the State Archives of North Rhine-Westphalia

In June 2025, the Rhineland Division of the North Rhine-Westphalia State Archives launched the two-year subproject “Transformation of Wiedergutmachung” (restitution/compensation for National Socialist injustices). In addition to a scholarly analysis of administrative and legal conditions of Wiedergutmachung in North Rhine-Westphalia, the project focuses on the systematic identification and compilation of relevant documents in a subject-based thematic inventory across North Rhine-Westphalia. With its planned publication in 2027, the thematic inventory will, for the first time, provide a systematic and statewide overview of compensation and restitution records, referred to as Wiedergutmachung. The results will be integrated into the Online Collection “Wiedergutmachung for National Socialist Injustice” and will be fully searchable within it.

Over the past ten months, more than 400 archives throughout North Rhine-Westphalia have been contacted with a request for information on relevant collections. Information was gathered on the extent of the holdings, the catalogue descriptions, the level of cataloguing, and the provenance. A field for special notes allows the entry of additional information that goes beyond the general details, or is not covered by the standard questions on the form. In addition to municipal archives, political and economic archives were contacted, as they may hold further records. Additionally, The National Archives in London was consulted, as it may contain further holdings from the post-war occupation period.

About half of the archives contacted have provided information about their holdings so far. The responses vary considerably. Some archives do not hold any relevant records, whilst others range from individual records to extensive collections. While the content can be clearly identified from some descriptions, others are less specific and sometimes require follow-up questions. In addition, new questions have emerged in certain holdings that require further clarification.

Research within the archives is sometimes complicated by the synonymous use of the term Wiedergutmachung. In many finding aids, this term was used to record not only compensation and restitution proceedings for victims of Nazi persecution under the Federal Compensation Act (BEG) and the Federal Restitution Act (BRüG), but also cases regulated by the Prisoner-of-War Compensation Act (KgfEG) and the Equalization of Burdens Act (LAG), which, however, refer to different categories of compensation. Of particular relevance to municipal records are the early efforts towards Wiedergutmachung. These were primarily facilitated by the district special aid committees, which provided initial support in the immediate post-war period, especially for individuals who had fallen into economic hardship as a result of National Socialist persecution. 

The heterogeneity of the responses regarding the scope, description, and level of archival cataloguing of the respective holdings poses a significant challenge for standardizing the final results. A standardized presentation is essential for the creation of the inventory, as it ensures consistent access to historical records from North Rhine-Westphalia. This step constitutes a key component of the project’s next phase.