back

Information on data processing: Registry of the German Settlement Society – Properties Carinthia

Terms of reference

An index of properties in Carinthia of both the German Settlement Society (abv.: DAG or D.A.G), as well as the Deutsche Umsiedlungs-Treuhand-Gesellschaft mit beschränkter Haftung (“German Resettlement Trust Society”, abv.: DUT) was found in 2008 in the Austrian State Archives in the course of research carried out for the claim processing of the General Settlement Fund. The records were located in the holdings of both the restitution and the compensation files of the Federal Ministry of Finance (property control division) (box 5629). This file holding originates from the Federal Ministry for Property Control and Economic Planning which was dissolved in 1950 and which, as representative of the Republic of Austria, acted as owner of the former German assets after the war ended in 1945.

The index was originally drawn up by the Vermögensverwaltung der Deutschen Ansiedlungsgesellschaft, Geschäftstelle Klagenfurt” (“asset management of the German Settlement Society, Klagenfurt branch”) and, respectively by the Öffentlichen Verwaltung der Deutschen Ansiedlungsgesellschaft, Zweigniederlassung Wien (“public administration of the German Settlement Society, Vienna branch”) and forwarded to the Federal Ministry within the scope of reporting activities. It remains unclear whether further indexes existed in the period between 1946 and 1947. There are six formally distinguishable sub-indexes:

A. Verzeichnis über freihändig angekaufte Liegenschaften im grundbücherlichen Eigentum des Großdeutschen Reiches (“Index on directly purchased properties recorded in the land register for the Greater German Reich“) containing 30 properties and the Verzeichnis über freihändig angekaufte Liegenschaften im grundbücherlichen Eigentum der Deutschen Umsiedlungs-Treuhand-Ges.m.b.H. Berlin (“Index on properties directly purchased and recorded in the land register for the DUT Berlin”) which contains three entries on properties.  Both lists were drafted by the “public administration of the German Settlement Society, Vienna branch”.

The following sub-indexes B-F, derive from information given by the “asset management of the German Settlement Society, Klagenfurt branch”.

B. Verzeichnis über enteignete Liegenschaften im grundbücherlichen Eigentum des Großdeutschen Reiches (”Index on expropriated properties recorded in the land register for the Greater German Reich”), which contains nine properties, and the Verzeichnis über enteignete Liegenschaften im grundbücherlichen Eigentum der Deutschen Umsiedlungs-Treuhand-Ges.m.b.H. Berlin (“Index on expropriated properties recorded in the land register for the DUT Berlin”) comprising three properties.

C. This directory contains agricultural properties, which were confiscated by the Gestapo (“Secret State Police”) during the so-called Slovene resettlement and which were recorded in the land register for the Greater German Reich, the DUT Berlin and the resettlers (non-resettlers and previous owners). An additional explanation reads as follows: “properties restituted for purposes of management to the former legitimate owners during the resettlement in 1945”. According tothe land register there were 117 agricultural holdings owned by the Greater German Reich, 14 by the DUT and 33 by the “resettlers, non-resettlers and former owners”).

D. Verzeichnis über die von D.A.G. Geschäftsstelle Klagenfurt für die D.U.T. freihändig angekauften und weiter verkauften 96 landwirtschaftlichen Liegenschaften (“Index on properties directly purchased by the D.A.G. Klagenfurt branch for the DUT and 96 resold agricultural properties“). 84 of these were assigned to the resettlers, six to the Reichsautobahn and six to the non-resettlers.

E. Verzeichnis über Pfarrpfründen [sic!], bei denen vom Reichsstatthalter in Kärnten die Enteignung eingeleitet und der Besitzeinweisungsbeschluß erlassen, aber kein Enteignungs- und Entschädigungsbeschluß ergangen ist, da zwischen dem Reichsstatthalter und Fb. [Fürstbischöflichen] Ordinariat am 14.6.1943 ein Übereinkommen geschlossen wurde, in welchem sich das Fb. [Fürstbischöfliche] Gurker Ordinariat bereit erklärt hat, die unter seiner Aufsicht stehenden Pfarrpfründengrundstücke [sic!] und Wirtschaftsgebäude (ausgenommen Pfarrhof) freihändig verkaufen zu lassen. Daraufhin wurde das eingeleitete Enteignungsverfahren stillgelegt und die Bewirtschaftung der Höfe der Pfarrvorstehung belassen (“Register on parochial benefices for which the Reich Governor in Carinthia had commenced expropriation and issued an order for the transfer of ownership but for which no expropriation or compensation orders had been issued, as an agreement had been concluded between the Reich Governor Prince Bishop of the Ordinariate Gurk on 14.6.1943 in which the Reich Governor and the Prince Bishop of the Ordinariate Gurk had declared himself willing to have sold the parochial benefices [sic!] and agricultural buildings under his custody. As a consequence, the expropriation proceedings were suspended and the management of the farms by the parochial administration was allowed to continue. This sub-index, which relates exclusively to the Roman Catholic Church include 10 properties.

F. Verzeichnis über die vom Reichsstatthalter in Kärnten enteigneten, für die Deutsche Umsiedlungs-Treuhand-Ges.m.b.H. in Berlin eingewiesenen und weiterverkauften Höfe. (“Index on farms in Carinthia expropriated by the Reich Governor in Carinthia and assigned to and sold by the DUT in Berlin. There are 15 agricultural holdings listed under this title.

The index supplemented the file holding SuW of the Carinthian Regional Archives with its condensed information. In the course of the research of the General Settlement Fund on compensation claims relating to property assets in Carinthia, this index constituted a valuable source of information.

Digitization

In a first step the records of the property index of the DAG were transferred true to original by the staff of the General Settlement Fund. The 330 entries – divided between the aforementioned sub-indexes – contain the following data fields:

  • File number as combination of the letter “K” with a number
  • Name of the former owner
  • Local name of the farm
  • Name of the place, municipality and district
  • Property area in hectares
  • Purchase price, respectively book/asset value in RM
  • Owner (1946)
  • Tenants (1946)
  • Amount charged for rent
  • Remarks

Processing the digitized data

In mid-2012 the records of the file holding of the DAG were converted into a data-compatible form in order to meet the requirements of the Findbuch: entries which contained several persons were divided into separate records. By doing so, the original number of 330 entries was increased to 357 records. Legal persons (such as Slovene associations and cooperatives, catholic rectories) were recorded into a separate data field. The names of the places, communities and districts were likewise entered into separate data fields. Indications of local names of the farms, property size, purchase price and any general remarks were summarized in the data field remarks. Neither property owners nor tenants of the property at the time the indexes were created were included.

© National Fund of the Republic Austria for Victims of National Socialism