The international documentation centre on Nazi persecution, the Arolsen Archives, has seen a significant increase in the number of requests for access to its documents this year.
According to its spokesperson, 10,636 requests have been registered since the beginning of July. During the same period last year, there were 8,605. That’s an increase of 23.6%.
The spokesperson pointed out that the number of requests had fallen over the whole of 2021 and 2022, with 15,610 and 15,300 approaches made respectively. By way of comparison, she said there had been 18,810 in 2020.
Located in the central German town of Bad Arolsen, the collection, which refers to 17.5 million people, is considered to be the most comprehensive in the world on the subject of Nazi persecution. It helps to understand the fate of the victims of Nazism.
The centre is run by a committee representing 16 different countries. It was set up after the Second World War as a registration and tracing office for missing persons. It played a crucial role in helping families to find out what had happened to their loved ones.
Its archives are also an important source of information for individuals seeking compensation for losses suffered.
