Join In and Search with Us
Help us – with research online, in the archive, or on the ground
The families of former concentration camp prisoners are now scattered across the globe. To find them and return these precious mementoes, we rely on the support of local volunteers.
Would you like to help? We have put together a step-by-step guide for you. No special knowledge is required – just a little detective work, some persistence, and – most importantly – an interest in your country’s history and the history of Nazi persecution. By joining in, you can make an important contribution to commemorating the victims. So let’s get started!
This type of research requires persistence. There will always be setbacks and false leads so I recommend casting your net wide and following even the unlikeliest clues.
Maciej Gaszek, volunteer for the Arolsen Archives in Poland
Step 1: Whose personal effects will you focus on?
Maybe a visit to a #StolenMemory exhibition or a report in the media has drawn your attention to one of the items that are waiting to be returned. If so, you already have some clues about the fate of the person who once owned it. Why not explore our online archive too? It contains photos or scans of all the items in our collection of personal effects.
Further information can be found in the “Digital Collections Online” database of the Arolsen Archives. This powerful tool allows you to search for people by name and filter the collection by nationality. You can also check the biographical details to see whether an item has already been returned.
Get started with the interactive map
We have created a georeferenced map that provides information about the birth places and the last place of residence / last known whereabouts of the concentration camp prisoners whose personal belongings we hold in our archives. The map contains around 1,500 markers and indicates which families we have already found and which families we are still looking for. The map can also help you to identify places that have been misspelled or places whose names have been changed. Go to the interactive map.
Step 2: Reconstruct the path of persecution
The most important step in your search is to reconstruct the person’s biographical details and retrace their path of persecution. Where was the owner of the effects born? Where was the person’s last place of residence and where did the Nazis arrest them? Which concentration camps was the person held in? Were they later registered as a displaced person? Could they have emigrated? First, examine the personal effects themselves – especially if they include documents or photos that are labeled in some way. This may provide you with valuable information about places of interest or the names of relatives.
Even if searching the online archive provides little or no information, there may be (even more) documents in the archive. Firstly, not all of the documents are online yet, and secondly, some documents – such as lists of names – are only available in the form of scans. That means the information they contain is not covered by the search function. That is another reason why it is important for you to contact us before you start your research.
Step 3: Find the exact locations
Once you have completed a basic reconstruction of the person’s path of persecution and identified key places, such as their birthplace and place of residence, the next step is to pinpoint their exact location. Many national borders have shifted since 1945, so lots of towns and villages have since been given different names. Only when you have found out what these places are called today can you move forward with your search in the correct locations.
- Belgium
- Denmark
- Estonia
- France
- Lithuania
- East Prussia (today Poland/Lithuania/Russia)
- Poland
- Slovenia
- Czech Republic
- Hungary
Step 4: Search on the ground
Have you identified the basic biographical details and the person’s place of birth or last known place of residence? If so, you can start to search on the ground!
I always begin by searching in the place where the person lived. Researching local history and talking to people who live there today are the key to the fate of the victims. When we talk to people, it’s always important to be transparent and clearly explain the purpose of our search: We’re looking for relatives so we can return the personal belongings of a family member who was persecuted by the Nazis.
Maciej Gaszek, volunteer in Poland, who has already found many families
Seek out partners and people/organizations who can help you trace the families:
– Local archives, museums, church archives
– Remembrance initiatives, historical associations, associations of former prisoners
– Local authorities: citizens´ centers, local council, mayors, police
– Local / nationa Red Cross Societies
If you are still at school, contact a local school and search together. You are sure to get valuable tips and assistance with your research.
Step 5: Contact the families
If you find a family, please get in touch with us first. Remember, some people may never even have heard of members of their family who were persecuted. When you get in touch with them, so many decades after the events, it can feel like a “bolt from the blue.” Go carefully and be prepared for a very emotional response. Families sometimes prefer not to hear about this history; sometimes they have no interest in the personal effects. But this is very rare – most relatives are deeply moved, they may have already done their own research and are often keen to discuss their relative’s fate in detail. Make time for these conversations!
If you prefer not to reach out to the family yourself, our staff can do this for you. Let us know when you find a family.
Video on the return of personal effects in Lyon
The film was made by Laurent Kouchner.
Step 6: Return the personal effects
Receiving the personal effects is a very emotional moment for most relatives. We usually send the items by mail. But sometimes the families want to travel to Bad Arolsen to pick up the effects themselves; this gives them the opportunity to find out more about their relative’s fate.
From time to time, we also hold formal ceremonies in various countries to mark the return of personal effects – often in places where our traveling exhibition is stopping. In the summer of 2023, for example, three French families in Paris received their loved ones’ personal belongings in person at a ceremony hosted by the mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo.
Important documents for the return of personal effects
With the consent of the family and the Arolsen Archives, arrangements can also be made for volunteers to return the items themselves. This can be a very good way for both sides to bring the story to a close.
A youth group from the Auschwitz Youth Meeting Center has already completed a number of successful searches, and the young people involved were able to get to know the families when they handed over the items to them:
All our hard work and all the effort we put into the search were rewarded when we saw the joy on Ms. Mazur’s face. We definitely want to carry on being part of the #StolenMemory project.
Volunteers from a grammar school in Oświęcim (Auschwitz), Poland