Provenance research for cultural objects confiscated by Nazi persecution in the holdings of Universit?tsbibliothek der Humboldt-Universit?t (formerly Zentrale Universit?tsbibliothek)

Universit?tsbibliothek of Humboldt-Universit?t zu Berlin is committed to the "Washington Principles" in 1998 as well as the "Gemeinsamen Erkl?rung der Bundesregierung, der L?nder und der kommunalen Spitzenverb?nde" in 1999. The Library intends to fulfil its mandate to investigate the provenance of cultural property that may have been acquired unlawfully.
The proposed project aims to initiate systematic provenance research at the UL for the first time. Selective research in earlier years identified the first cultural assets seized due to Nazi persecution, such as books of Agathe Lasch, a professor of German philology. These volumes were restituted in 2007.
Due to the size of the UB, the project focusses on the former “Zentrale Universit?tsbibliothek (ZUB). The majority of whose holdings are now located in the Jacob-und-Wilhelm-Grimm-Zentrum. The accession files for these holdings are almost complete, and it is the largest collection of the UL. A first review of the accession files shows that suspicious deliveries occured, among others by the Reichstauschstelle. Also at the other twelve locations of the UL, there could be found seized cultural objects, which, however, cannot be dealt with in this project due to their independent archival and historical tradition.
For the period 1933-1945, approximately 37.000 objects found their way into the Library through purchase, dona or book exchange. Increased accession figures within dona and exchange, especially in the years 1934, 1940 and 1942, suggest that there could be seized cultural objects among them.
A systematic examination is planned to determine the extent to which acquisitions are connected to persons, authorities or institutions that were involved in the trade of Nazi looted property (so-called "Red Flag" names), or to persons and entities that were persecuted under Nazi-Regime. Suspicious facts in the holdings of the Grimm-Zentrum will be identified and documented. If necessary, a restitution of the books to the rightful owners or their heirs will be initiated.
This first systematic research of provenances marks the beginning of comprehensive research on cultural objects seized as a result of Nazi persecution in all holdings and at all locations of the University Library.