Transnational Remembrance of NS Forced Labor and Migration

Interactive Map Disclaimer

This Interactive Map with modern borders displays lines and dots which represent the movements and places of residence of people who moved from place to place repeatedly in the period before, during and after the Second World War. It shows the data of individuals who migrated, fled, changed their place of residence, or were deported. These individuals include former forced laborers and other Displaced persons (DPs) – people who migrated in different personal situations and for different reasons. The biographies displayed are selected samples which cover specific topics. They are not in any way representative of all the files that are held in the Arolsen Archives.

Please be patient if the data is slow to load when you switch samples.

The paths and the biographies displayed are based primarily on information about time periods and geographical whereabouts taken from the CM/1 applications that people had to fill out from 1947 onwards in order to receive support from the International Refugee Organization (IRO). Some of the information is based on documents from other collections held by the Arolsen Archives, such as the passenger lists of ships which transported emigrants to other countries or registration documents from the postwar card file. Most of the information in the CM/1 applications is handwritten and was recorded by the applicants themselves. This means that no guarantee can be given that these data are complete or correct. Rather, the movements displayed are a visual representation of information which was provided by historical figures and recorded at a specific point in time in the historical sources on which the map is based. The people concerned may, of course, have provided false information deliberately or may have remembered things inaccurately. This does not reveal any underlying "methodological inaccuracy" of the project, but highlights instead the fundamental challenge posed by historical sources: they can never convey an objective picture of the past.

Using the "Transnational Remembrance of Nazi Forced Labor and Migration" map, the data can be filtered in accordance with specific criteria and attributes and can be put into a temporal and geographical context. The links to the original documents enable users to study the biographies and the fate of the people concerned in greater depth. Using the table view beneath the world map, users can search for places, people and whole families. Observing the data over time (Animated View) reveals patterns in the historical data.

With the aid of the Interactive Map and its associated filters, users can view the data of the movements of forced laborers and other DPs. However, this can in no way replace a personal examination of the historical source. The map, therefore, either provides a starting point for exploring the biographies of people who were uprooted from their native countries as a result of the Second World War or puts individual biographies into context by enabling comparison with the data of a large number of other people.

Because of the incomplete nature of the underlying data, the map could only be created by adding certain levels of abstraction. This applies in particular to the geographical data. If a country was specified in the sources without any more detailed information, we chose the capital city of that country for referencing on the map. Dates also had to be standardized. If no exact day was given, the 15th day of the month in question was chosen, while if neither a day nor a month were given, the 1st day in July of the year in question was chosen. Inaccuracies are also caused by the diversity of the sources, which were converted into a more or less standard form for the purpose of data processing.

Learn more about the digital collections of the Arolsen Archives

Quick guide to the functions of the Interactive Map

Choose a sample. The Interactive Map then displays the paths of the people assigned to this sample.
Please be patient if the data is slow to load when you switch samples.
You can search the data of the samples in the table beneath the world map. Each data set shows the movement of a person from one place to the next. The date and place of birth are also shown. The search function for the sample concerned searches all the information in the table and includes “fuzzy search”, which means you can search for first and last names, for places or for dates. The search is not case-sensitive, so it does not matter whether you use capitals or small letters.
You can filter the sample data by year of movement, year of birth, gender and – based on the information from the CM/1 file – religion, ethnic group or nationality. It is also possible to filter the displayed data by name. Please note that you can only search for full names in this filter (first AND last name). After choosing the filters, click “Apply Filter” und the paths shown on the map will be displayed in accordance with your selection. A fast way of returning the filters to their initial settings is to click “Reset Filter”.
The “Toggle Places” button displays dots on the map for the places the applicants listed as places of residence in the files.
The movements of the people are shown by lines on the map. Each line represents a movement between two places. The color of the lines is generated randomly and corresponds to the color used for each person in the table beneath the map. By clicking a line on the map, further information is displayed about the person as well as about the places connected by the line. The info box which opens also contains a direct link to the digitized CM/1 file in the online archive of the Arolsen Archives.
“Animated view” provides the option of viewing the data automatically year by year or progressively over a given period of time. The animation starts and ends with the chosen “Year of Movement”. This makes it possible to identify patterns in the data over time.

Educational Material

What are the Samples about

Born in Minsk

This sample consists of CM/1 applications on which the main applicant (head of family) gave Minsk as their place of birth.

Born in Warsaw

This sample consists of CM/1 applications on which the main applicant (head of family) gave Warsaw as their place of birth.

Stateless

This sample consists of CM/1 applications on which the main applicant (head of family) gave “stateless” or “Nansen” as their nationality. Nansen passports were introduced after the First World War and were originally intended for emigrants whose citizenship had been revoked by the Soviet Union and who were therefore considered stateless. Later, it was also possible for emigrants from other countries to be given this type of passport. Many DPs described themselves as stateless after 1945 because they did not want to return to their native countries.

Spanish Nationality

This sample consists of CM/1 applications on which the main applicant (head of family) gave “Spanish” as their nationality.

Dutch Nationality

This sample consists of CM/1 applications on which the main applicant (head of family) gave “Dutch” as their nationality.

Registered in Osnabrück

This sample consists of CM/1 applications submitted within the area covered by the Area Team responsible for Osnabrück.

Resettled to GB

This sample consists of CM/1 applications filed by main applicants (heads of family) who later emigrated to Great Britain.

Resettled to Argentina

This sample consists of CM/1 applications filed by main applicants (heads of family) who later emigrated to Argentina.

Learn more about the digital collections of the Arolsen Archives

Trajectories

The year of movement is reconstructed from the information applicants gave on their CM/1 applications under “Places of residence for last 10/12 years”. Because only data pertaining to residence in one place were given, the year of movement is the year during which the place of residence changed. Use the sliders to select the period of time for which the movement of the DPs is to be shown.

"Animated view" provides the option of viewing the data automatically year by year or progressively over a given period of time.

Year of Birth

The year of birth is based on the information given by the Displaced Persons (DPs) on their CM/1-applications. Use the sliders to select the years of birth of the applicants to be displayed on the map.

Names

Search for people’s Name.

Note: This filter is case-sensitve and does not feature fuzzy search nor boolean search operators.

Finds Stanislaw Bratus but not Bratus, Stanislaw or Stanislaw Brat*

The complete Name (givenname + surname) is needed. See column "name" in the table below.

Religion

DPs were able to select religions from a list of options included on CM/1 applications. Different forms offered different options. The options most frequently found are Protestant, Catholic and Jewish.

However, there are also forms which include a space for free text or the option of selecting "none". Religious affiliation could become important as religious relief organizations provided targeted support to people of a specific religion in order to help them emigrate and start afresh. The religions which can be selected here are those specified by the applicants in the chosen sample.

Gender

The gender is based on the information given by the Displaced Persons (DPs) on their CM/1 applications.

Nationality

It was not always easy for the DPs to state their nationality because borders shifted as a result of the First and Second World Wars. Even if they were born in the same town, some people defined themselves as Polish, some others as Ukrainian, while others saw themselves as stateless. Many Jews specified their nationality as Jewish.

Nationality decided whether DPs were sent back to their native countries against their will (forced repatriation). As a result, DPs sometimes specified a certain nationality in order to avoid this. The values which can be selected here are those specified by the applicants in the chosen sample.

Ethnic Group

The description under "Ethnic Group" is based on the information provided by the DPs; it is not an external ascription. IRO staff were expected to advise the DPs on this question. However, in the end it was the DPs' self-description that had to be noted. The values which can be selected here are those specified by the applicants in the chosen sample.

Mapping Trajectories and Places