Budapest Székesfőváros Főpolgármesterének iratai

Unified Budapest was created in the early 1870s and the city would soon emerge as a modern metropolis that in many ways acquired a dominant role in Hungarian affairs. The Mayor of Budapest was therefore a highly significant function. Since Budapest also had the second largest Jewish community on the continent with over 200 000 members and Jews played particularly prominent roles in the life of the city, the Records of the Mayor of Budapest are also of special interest to the study of how the country’s anti-Semitic radicalization was negotiated in the capital city. The story of Budapest and its large Jewish community was also different from those of the rest of the country during the Holocaust. The collection of records of the Mayor of Budapest is divided into four major parts and consist of confidential papers (IV. 1402.a), general papers (IV. 1402.b), papers on new appointments (IV. 1402.c, only until 1937) and the bequest of Mayor Ferenc Heltai (the latter is of no relevance to the study of the history of the Holocaust). There are several department of the Mayor's Office from after 1945 that are of special relevance for the study the Holocaust and its immediate aftereffects in Hungary. There are the Department of Public Law that dealt with issues of residence (to be found under IV.), the Department of Social Policy (to be found under IX.) and the Department of Industry and Commerce (XV.) This collection contains correspondence of the Mayor of Budapest, minutes of meetings, decisions taken, various applications made and denunciation letters, among others. The themes of these documents include military, disciplinary, commercial, health and transportation issues, citizenship and residence-related questions, various appointments and dismissals, issues related to the Jewish community and Zionist organizations in the country as well as the confiscation and redistribution of Jewish property.