+ All Categories
Home > Education > Tracing the rightful owners: Nazi-looted books in the Central and Regional Library Berlin

Tracing the rightful owners: Nazi-looted books in the Central and Regional Library Berlin

Date post: 29-Oct-2014
Category:
Upload: zlbns-raubgut
View: 469 times
Download: 0 times
Share this document with a friend
Description:
Tracing the rightful owners / NS-looted books in the Central- and Regional Library Berlin Abstract: The Zentral- und Landesbibliothek Berlin (ZLB - Central and Regional Library Berlin) is checking its stock for Nazi-looted books and tries to return them to their rightful owners. In 1943 the Berlin City Library, a predecessor of today's ZLB, bought more than 40,000 books from the Pfandleihanstalt the city's pawn shop. The owners of these books had been deported – the household was confiscated by the state and sold to the city of Berlin. The library used the books to replenish the stock: Until the end of the war, about 2,000 of these books were marked with a "J" (for “Jude“, “Jew”) and listed in a special acquisition journal. After the war, the library still used the same books to rebuild its stock, but from then on the books were not marked with a „J“, but with a G (for “Geschenke”, „gifts“). In addition to that, books from the stacks of the Reichssicherheitshauptamt (RSHA - Reich Main Security Office) and other Nazi organizations were used to rebuild Berlin Libraries. More than 200,000 volumes need to be checked: every single book has to be carefully examined for traces of former owners. These marks of provenance are the only information about the origin of the books since they bear no common marks (except the aforementioned 2,000 books marked with “J”s). Stamps, autographs, book-plates and dedications contain names of persecuted people and can lead to the rightful owners of the looted books. But even at first sight unmeaning numbers, marks or residue of torn out book-plates can, through comparison and interpretation, be helpful. To deal with the accumulating vast amount of data the ZLB has developed a specialised relational database that is used to store and analyse the collected information and to publicise the findings. From the beginning of 2010 to March 2013 more than 40,000 volumes have been checked. About 10,000 books containing about 20,000 marks of provenance, connected to more than 4,000 people and institutions, are stored in the database. Looted books belonging to thousands of people are still hidden in the stock. All the findings are published at Germany’s central office for the documentation of lost cultural property the Koordinierungsstelle Magdeburg www.lostart.de, and our website www.zlb.de/raubgut.
Popular Tags:
21
Tracing the rightful owners – Nazi-looted books in the Central and Regional Library Berlin (ZLB) Tracing the rightful owners Nazi-looted books in the Central and Regional Library Berlin (ZLB) „The West” Versus „The East“ or the United Europe? October 8 – 9, 2013 Sebastian Finsterwalder Peter Prölß
Transcript
Page 1: Tracing the rightful owners: Nazi-looted books in the Central and Regional Library Berlin

Tracing the rightful owners – Nazi-looted books in the Central and Regional Library Berlin (ZLB)

Tracing the rightful ownersNazi-looted books in theCentral and Regional Library Berlin (ZLB)

„The West” Versus „The East“

or the United Europe?

October 8 – 9, 2013

Sebastian Finsterwalder

Peter Prölß

Page 2: Tracing the rightful owners: Nazi-looted books in the Central and Regional Library Berlin

Tracing the rightful owners – Nazi-looted books in the Central and Regional Library Berlin (ZLB)

Henry M. Stanley: Im dunkelsten Afrika. Leipzig: Brockhaus, 1926.

1. Nazi-looted books in the Central and Regional Library Berlin

Page 3: Tracing the rightful owners: Nazi-looted books in the Central and Regional Library Berlin

Tracing the rightful owners – Nazi-looted books in the Central and Regional Library Berlin (ZLB)

„Meinem lieben Rudi zum dreizehnten Geburtstag von Mutti.“

Page 4: Tracing the rightful owners: Nazi-looted books in the Central and Regional Library Berlin

Tracing the rightful owners – Nazi-looted books in the Central and Regional Library Berlin (ZLB)

„Meinem lieben Rudi zum dreizehnten Geburtstag von Mutti.“

Source:

Memorial Book

Victims of the Persecution of Jews under the National Socialist Tyranny in Germany 1933 – 1945www.bundesarchiv.de/gedenkbuch/en1083051

Page 5: Tracing the rightful owners: Nazi-looted books in the Central and Regional Library Berlin

Tracing the rightful owners – Nazi-looted books in the Central and Regional Library Berlin (ZLB)

Central and Regional Library Berlin (ZLB)

Berliner StadtbibliothekBerlin City Libraryest. 19011948-1989 East Berlin

Zentral- und Landesbibliothek Berlin (ZLB)

Page 6: Tracing the rightful owners: Nazi-looted books in the Central and Regional Library Berlin

Tracing the rightful owners – Nazi-looted books in the Central and Regional Library Berlin (ZLB)

1.1 A bargain in 1943

„The forfeited property shall be used to promote all means contributing to the solution of the Jewish Question“ office of the Mayor, April 3rd, 1943

Page 7: Tracing the rightful owners: Nazi-looted books in the Central and Regional Library Berlin

Tracing the rightful owners – Nazi-looted books in the Central and Regional Library Berlin (ZLB)

1.1 A bargain in 1943

Page 8: Tracing the rightful owners: Nazi-looted books in the Central and Regional Library Berlin

Tracing the rightful owners – Nazi-looted books in the Central and Regional Library Berlin (ZLB) 8

Bm 289 [88]9 Stanley, Henry M. Im dunkelsten Afrika. 1926.

1.1 A bargain in 1943

Page 9: Tracing the rightful owners: Nazi-looted books in the Central and Regional Library Berlin

Tracing the rightful owners – Nazi-looted books in the Central and Regional Library Berlin (ZLB) 9

Bm 289 [88]9 Stanley, Henry M. Im dunkelsten Afrika. 1926.

1.1 A bargain in 1943

Page 10: Tracing the rightful owners: Nazi-looted books in the Central and Regional Library Berlin

Tracing the rightful owners – Nazi-looted books in the Central and Regional Library Berlin (ZLB) 10

1.2 Rebuilding a library: 20,000 „gifts“?

Page 11: Tracing the rightful owners: Nazi-looted books in the Central and Regional Library Berlin

Tracing the rightful owners – Nazi-looted books in the Central and Regional Library Berlin (ZLB)

J / 1358 G45 / 859

11

1.2 From „J“ to „G“

Page 12: Tracing the rightful owners: Nazi-looted books in the Central and Regional Library Berlin

Tracing the rightful owners – Nazi-looted books in the Central and Regional Library Berlin (ZLB)

1.2 the „Bergungsstelle für wissenschaftliche Bibliotheken“

Page 13: Tracing the rightful owners: Nazi-looted books in the Central and Regional Library Berlin

Tracing the rightful owners – Nazi-looted books in the Central and Regional Library Berlin (ZLB)

1933 – 1945: - Books from the homes of the deported (1943) - Used books since 1933

Summary: the sources of Nazi-looted books in the ZLB

Page 14: Tracing the rightful owners: Nazi-looted books in the Central and Regional Library Berlin

Tracing the rightful owners – Nazi-looted books in the Central and Regional Library Berlin (ZLB)

1945/1946: „Bergungsgut“ including- Books taken from organziations and Jewish communities- Books from occupied countries („Beutegut“)- Used books

Summary: the sources of Nazi-looted books in the ZLB

Page 15: Tracing the rightful owners: Nazi-looted books in the Central and Regional Library Berlin

Tracing the rightful owners – Nazi-looted books in the Central and Regional Library Berlin (ZLB)

2. Tracing the rightful owners

Page 16: Tracing the rightful owners: Nazi-looted books in the Central and Regional Library Berlin

Tracing the rightful owners – Nazi-looted books in the Central and Regional Library Berlin (ZLB)

2.1 Research

Page 17: Tracing the rightful owners: Nazi-looted books in the Central and Regional Library Berlin

Tracing the rightful owners – Nazi-looted books in the Central and Regional Library Berlin (ZLB)

2.1 Research

Page 18: Tracing the rightful owners: Nazi-looted books in the Central and Regional Library Berlin

Tracing the rightful owners – Nazi-looted books in the Central and Regional Library Berlin (ZLB)

2.2 Publication

Page 19: Tracing the rightful owners: Nazi-looted books in the Central and Regional Library Berlin

Tracing the rightful owners – Nazi-looted books in the Central and Regional Library Berlin (ZLB)

2.2 Publication

Page 20: Tracing the rightful owners: Nazi-looted books in the Central and Regional Library Berlin

Tracing the rightful owners – Nazi-looted books in the Central and Regional Library Berlin (ZLB)

2.3 Restitution

Page 21: Tracing the rightful owners: Nazi-looted books in the Central and Regional Library Berlin

Tracing the rightful owners – Nazi-looted books in the Central and Regional Library Berlin (ZLB)

Tracing the rightful ownersNazi-looted books in theCentral and Regional Library Berlin (ZLB)

Database:

http://raubgut.zlb.de

Contact:

[email protected]

+0049 (0)30 90 226 733

„The West” Versus „The East“

or the United Europe?

October 8 – 9, 2013

Sebastian Finsterwalder ([email protected])

Peter Prölß ([email protected])


Recommended