The Litzmannstadt (Łódź) employment office was established on September 12, 1939, before the final defeat of Poland. Located in Western Poland, the city was incorporated into the German Reich as part of the “Reichsgau Wartheland”. Here employment offices were more than simple administrative bodies. Having authority over a wide range of monitoring and punitive functions, they were key instruments of German rule.
For the native population, these offices were by necessity important institutions. Only those who registered with these offices were eligible for food coupons. The employment offices were also involved in the expulsion of the native Polish population. They decided who was needed in the labor force and which people appeared to have no use for the German's purposes.
