Inventory of the State Archive of the Kemerovo Region as a Source of Information on Evacuated Enterprises and Equipment in Kemerovo During the Great Patriotic War

Abstract

The article analyzes the inventory of the State Archive of the Kemerovo region as an initial source for identifying information about evacuated enterprises and equipment in Kemerovo during the Great Patriotic War. Thirteen funds were identified for which evacuated businesses or equipment became fund-makers, and two funds where partial information was found. Four hundred and ten items of storage were deposited in the fixed assets during the Great Patriotic War, while the main volume of materials relates to its initial period. The analysis of the headings of storage units allowed us to identify four thematic groups of documents that reflect the history of the evacuated industrial facilities in Kemerovo during the war: “documents of an administrative nature”, “documents on the organization of production activities”, “technical documentation” and “documents on personnel”. The storage units identified are the starting point for further study of the process of evacuation and placement of industrial facilities on the territory of Kemerovo. Their detailed analysis will help to shed light on the “white spots” and resolve disputed points that take place in historiographical sources. In fact, the archive contains much more information about the problem under the study, and it is distributed among a number of funds. The fact is that the historical reference and the wording of the name of the Fund do not always give full information about the materials stored in it. The method of identifying information should be based on a continuous review of inventories and storage units.

Keywords

• evacuation
• industry
• equipment
• kemerovo
• the great patriotic war
• archive