Netherlands to be host country of international Holocaust research bureau

The Netherlands is going to host an international research agency into the Holocaust if the European Commission approves it. The so-called headquarters will be housed at the NIOD Institute for War, Holocaust and Genocide Studies, according to Minister Eppo Bruins of Education, Culture and Science and Vincent Karremans, State Secretary responsible for war commemoration.

Earlier this month, the request for the establishment and setup of the research facility was submitted on behalf of the countries participating (in addition to the Netherlands, this includes Belgium, Germany, Israel, Croatia, Austria, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, the Czech Republic and the United Kingdom) and research institutions was sent, said the ministers in a letter to the Tweede Kamer, which is the lower house of Dutch parliament. "This plan contains important details, such as the location of the headquarters in the Netherlands, the content of the legal entity to be established, and the agreed draft articles of association."

When Brussels approves it, the research consortium can start instantly. This is important, an attachment from the letter showed, because the researchers want to start in January 2025 "to remember the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz."

The consortium's idea is that information from the countries involved will be collected together. "This will consist of photos, videos, papers, and digital archives, for example, about train transports in the Second World War, letters from people from concentration camps, and recent scientific research about the Holocaust."

Although there is a lot of information about the Holocaust, this is still "spread out about thousands of archives, libraries, museums, and other institutions." According to the ministers, this fragmentation makes it difficult for researchers to find all the necessary information.

This is a problem that the research agency will hopefully solve. "Letters from Auschwitz or photos of the liberation of Bergen-Belsen, which can now be found in many archives and collections, can soon be found from behind a computer in one go. A large part of the sources will soon be searchable digitally. The research facility will also be accessible to the general public, for example, people who are researching their family history."

The government will contribute 300,000 euros per year until 2035.