In 2025, the Hungarian Heritage Archives Foundation saved two Budapest resident registration books—one from District VI and one from District XIII—from being lost, and donated them to the Budapest City Archives. On this occasion, we wish to draw attention to this type of modern historical source: what is its value, and why is it important that surviving volumes be preserved in public collections?
Resident registration books were maintained from the 1920s–1930s onward by building superintendents, particularly in large tenement houses with multiple apartments. Their structure varied depending on the date of publication, but they generally contained the same data fields. At the beginning of each volume, one typically finds the address of the building concerned, sometimes the details of the superintendent and building representative, as well as public-interest contact information (doctor, pharmacy, police, etc.). These books were usually arranged in a register format, with entries filled in by hand.
The outstanding value of resident registration books lies in their richness of data. They recorded the names and personal details of residents (mother’s name, place and date of birth, citizenship), occupation, dates of moving in and out, subsequent address, the designation of the occupied dwelling unit, and the names of children moving in with them; in some cases, even former religious affiliation was noted. Some printed forms also include authentication by the official circular stamp of the police authority receiving the registration and deregistration forms. Owing to this wealth of information, these volumes constitute exceptionally important sources for social history and genealogical research.
According to regulations, once completed, resident registration books were to be handed over by building superintendents to the local council. Unfortunately, this obligation was often not fulfilled, and as a result, the collection of the Budapest City Archives remains incomplete. A significant portion has likely been lost forever, although individual volumes occasionally resurface on the websites of antiquarian bookshops and auction houses.
The two volumes acquired by the Foundation have now been incorporated into the holdings of the Budapest City Archives. Their reference codes are as follows:
XXIII.206.d – Resident registration book of Budapest District VI, Lövölde tér 3, 1949–1953
XXIII.213.d – Resident registration book of Budapest District XIII, Palóc utca 16, 1944–1955
Eszter Jung, Ferenc Lakatos and Tibor Neumann