About us

In order to be able to process the applications received by the General Settlement Fund with the help of historical documents, Austrian archives have provided a wealth of information – so called Findbücher, or finding aids – on their file holdings relating to National Socialist property seizures and Austrian compensation and restitution measures. While working to process the applications, the staff of the General Settlement Fund were able to merge this data, sometimes adding to it, amending it and – if not already done – recording it electronically. The resulting database provides the foundation for the "Findbuch for Victims of National Socialism".

Through regular communication with our applicants, we have come to realize that, even today, people’s desire to find out about the stories and fates of their family and friends remains unabated. For this reason, we believe it is important to share the information we have collected with the wider public. This online finding aid aims to assist the victims of National Socialism and their descendants, as well as historians, members of local remembrance initiatives and the interested public, in accessing and searching the holdings of Austrian archives. This online finding aid aims to assist the victims of National Socialism and their descendants, as well as historians, members of local remembrance initiatives and the interested public, in accessing and searching the holdings of Austrian archives. It is hoped that by doing so, we may succeed in encouraging and supporting people in coming to terms with National Socialism and its aftermath in Austria, both in terms of family history and on an academic, educational and societal level.

We would like to thank all archives and institutions which provided us with data and have supported us in this undertaking. Thanks are also owed to our colleagues who have recorded and processed the records over the years. Without their help, the creation of this online finding aid would never have been achieved.