Correspondence with Bundeszentrale für Heimatdienst

  • This material is held at
  • Reference
      GB 1556 3000/9/1/244
  • Dates of Creation
      09/09/1952 - 12/10/1961
  • Language of Material
      German
  • Physical Description
      448 letters

Scope and Content

Documenting the close cooperation between the two institutions the correspondence throws light on the involvement of The Wiener Library in official efforts to fight Antisemitism in post-war West Germany. Contained are bound minutes of a workshop on this subject, conference proceedings, internal memos, a typescript of a survivor report on Belzec extermination camp (1955), an exposé on anti-Semitic incidents in West Germany 1959/1960, and press cuttings.

Issues addressed are among various others: an initial workshop on the fight of Antisemitism and debriefing (1953/54); certain aspects related to the Dokumentenwerk, a joint publication project of The Wiener Library and the Munich based Institut für Zeitgeschichte on the persecution of Jews during the Nazi era; questions related to the publishing of several other studies on National Socialism; financial support by the Bundeszentrale for the print and distribution of bibliographic catalogues on National Socialism compiled by the Library; internal organisational issues of the Bundeszentrale (1960/61).

Administrative / Biographical History

Founded in Bonn in 1952 the Bundeszentrale für Heimatdienst (now Bundeszentrale für politische Bildung) is a federal public authority. Its remit is the political education and the strengthening of democratic values and processes. See Hentges, G., Staat und politische Bildung: Die Bundeszentrale für Heimatdienst bzw. Bundeszentrale für politische Bildung im Spannungsfeld zwischen Propaganda, Public Relations und politischer Bildung,Wiesbaden, Springer VS, 2012.

Access Information

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Related Material

See also the numerous correspondences on the Dokumentenwerk project within the Pre-1963 Correspondence collection.

Geographical Names