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Registration card DP camp Mittenwald

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Transient DP CampUNRRA Team Nummer3872 und 269CNo 06336Block Hotel 2Family Name bis BirthplaceLast addressDate of leave and arrivalProfession and Marital StatusSignaturesDP no und Id Card NoDestinationFoto Meal ticketsCigarettesBlankets bis other stuffDusted and examined onTyphus bis DysenteryLabor Office

Registration cards from various DP camps have been preserved in the Arolsen Archives. These registration cards, most of which are greenish or yellowish, were created by UNRRA employees when DPs arrived in Mittenwald. They noted the specific block and room number where the DP was housed in the camp. On the back of the card there was space for additional information that was important to the camp administration: details about the DP’s medical care as well as meal tickets and clothing that had been issued.
The cards come from the part of the Mittenwald DP camp that was a transient camp, meaning that the DPs were just passing through. The DPs remained there only for a short period of time and usually traveled on to their countries of origin after a few weeks.

Registration cards from various DP camps have been preserved in the Arolsen Archives. These registration cards, most of which are greenish or yellowish, were created by UNRRA employees when DPs arrived in Mittenwald. They noted the specific block and room number where the DP was housed in the camp. On the back of the card there was space for additional information that was important to the camp administration: details about the DP’s medical care as well as meal tickets and clothing that had been issued.
The cards come from the part of the Mittenwald DP camp that was a transient camp, meaning that the DPs were just passing through. The DPs remained there only for a short period of time and usually traveled on to their countries of origin after a few weeks.

Background information on DP documents

Further examples

Questions and answers

  • Where was the document used and who created it?

    To ensure that DPs could return to their countries of origin or emigrate to a different country as smoothly as possible, a Europe-wide network of camps was established. UNRRA set up special transient camps in which the DPs spent only a short period of time before continuing their journey. One of these transient camps was located in Mittenwald near Garmisch-Partenkirchen, close to the German-Austrian border. Reception officers working for UNRRA and later the IRO created registration cards for each DP who arrived at the camp. The folds and frayed edges indicate that the DPs probably carried their cards with them while they stayed in Mittenwald.

    The information on the cards comes from different sections of the camp. After registration was carried out in the reception office, employees in the supply office noted whether the DP had received clothing or meal tickets. The responsible individuals in the medical office recorded vaccinations, delousing procedures and examinations. When DPs departed from the transient camp, they would leave their registration card behind in Mittenwald.

  • When was the document used?

    Unfortunately, the history of the transient camp in Mittenwald has not been very thoroughly researched. For example, not even the time period in which UNRRA and the IRO ran the camp is certain. But one of the earliest registration cards shows that the documents were printed in March 1946. This fits with the information on the cards: most of the DPs whose cards are now preserved in the Arolsen Archives arrived in Mittenwald between April 1946 and October 1947.

  • What was the document used for?

    The Allies had set up a DP camp in Mittenwald very early on. It had three areas: the Jägerkaserne (also known as the Nordkaserne or “north barracks”), the Pionierkaserne (also known as the Südkaserne or “south barracks”) and Camp Lüttensee. There were also at least two hotels in the town of Mittenwald where DPs were housed. Along with the so-called permanent camps, there was a special area known as the Mittenwald transient camp. It is not known exactly where this was in Mittenwald or whether the entire camp was declared a transient camp for a certain period of time.

    DPs only stayed in the transient camp for a few days or weeks before they returned to their countries of origin or emigrated. Sometimes they traveled via the Italian ports of Genoa, Naples and Bari to China or even Afghanistan, but most returned to Yugoslavia, Italy and Greece.

    The registration cards filled out for the DPs by UNRRA and later IRO employees clearly show that the DPs underwent medical exams and were given clothing if necessary. But above all, the DPs in the Mittenwald transient camp waited for their tickets to be issued, their documents to be verified or their transportation to be arranged.

  • How common is the document?

    It is not possible to say exactly how many registration cards from the Mittenwald transient camp have been preserved in the Arolsen Archives. This is because the cards are no longer stored together in their own card file. Instead, ITS employees organized them following an alphabetical-phonetic system and placed them with other documents in the postwar card file (Nachkriegszeitkartei, Collection 3.1.1.1). This made it easier to search for people because the employees only needed to look in one card file instead of several. It is important to note, however, that cards have not been preserved for all of the DPs who left Germany via Mittenwald. Spot checks have shown that most of the existing cards are from DPs who lived in the transient camp between 1946 and 1947.

  • What should be considered when working with the document?

    The Mittenwald DP camp was not just a transient camp. It also held DPs who lived in parts of the camp for months or years because they had not been approved to continue their journey from there. There are no registration cards for these DPs in the Arolsen Archives.

    If you have any additional information about these cards, we would appreciate it very much if you could send your feedback to eguide@arolsen-archives.org. New findings can always be incorporated into the e-Guide and shared with everyone.

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