ANTWERP | World War II deportation list transferred to City Archives

In August 2025, the Antwerp Police Department have handed over a list of people deported during World War II to the FelixArchief, the city archives of Antwerp. The document, originating from one of the darkest chapters in the police’s history, will now become part of the extensive police archive already preserved at the FelixArchief.

Until now, the list was kept at the police heritage centre, which presents the history and present-day activities of the Antwerp Police. The centre devotes particular attention to the Second World War and the role of the Antwerp police during this period. 

Officers were required to arrest and hand over Jewish residents of the city to the German occupiers. The list of victims, containing their names, addresses and dates of deportation, makes this harrowing episode in the police’s past painfully tangible.

The document was drawn up sometime after 4 September 1944 and originated from the 6th police district, responsible for an area that largely corresponds to the station district up to the city park and Plantin Moretuslei. It is believed that every district office compiled similar records.

The Antwerp Police have now transferred the list to the FelixArchief, where it will be preserved under optimal conditions. A replica of the document will soon be available for consultation at the police heritage centre.

Acting Mayor Els van Doesburg (N-VA) stated: “This list is no ordinary document. It shows us the faces behind one of the darkest chapters of our city, and the complex role of the police corps, in which collaborators stood alongside members of the resistance. The latter also risked deportation and death in the concentration camps. In the FelixArchief, this page of history is given the place it deserves: not to hide, but to remember, to acknowledge, and to learn from.”

The police heritage centre brings together a unique collection of historical objects, including uniforms, weapons, vehicles and documents that have shaped the evolution of the Antwerp Police. 

Many items come from the former police museum at the Oudaan. The centre also presents a nuanced account of the Second World War, noting that not all officers took part in the deportations. There was internal resistance, and several policemen involved in the resistance were themselves deported by the occupiers and never returned.

The heritage centre, with a strong focus on the Second World War, is free to visit by appointment. More information can be found at www.politieantwerpen.be/over-ons/erfgoedcentrum.

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