Titelblatt des Begleithefts zur Ausstellung
Nazi-looted cultural property

Opening of the exhibition Bücher. Eine Frage der Herkunft [“Books. A question of origin”]

Görlitz Barockhaus treasure chamber shows selection of books from 450 years

The Upper Lusatian Library of Sciences (OLB) has opened the exhibition Bücher. Eine Frage der Herkunft [“Books. A question of origin”] in the treasure chamber of the Barockhaus in Görlitz. Up until the end of February 2025 it will be showing a selection of books from a period of 450 years, featuring a wide variety of proofs of ownership that vividly illustrate the theme of provenance research.

With its holdings dating back to the 12th century, the library’s books and manuscripts probably feature thousands of different ownership markings on both the inside and outside, including handwritten entries, bookplates and stamps. It can sometimes be an extremely time-consuming task to read them correctly, decipher them and assign them to specific individuals or collections. In many cases the research reveals a fascinating panorama of contemporary and personal history. The holdings have hardly been investigated to date, so the process of cataloguing them is still in its infancy.

In June 2023, a research project began to systematically review the holdings of the Upper Lusatian Library of Sciences for cultural property seized as a result of Nazi persecution. The aim was to identify book acquisitions dating back to the period 1933 to 1945 whose previous owners were persecuted and expropriated during the National Socialist era for racist, political, religious or ideological reasons. In addition, the period under review was extended to include the post-war years up to 1950. In an effort to replace wartime losses caused by relocation on both sides of the River Neisse, the library was involved in the exchange of duplicates. Some of the exchanged items came from private collections and association libraries that had been embargoed or confiscated.

6,600 volumes from the original historical collection and 900 acquisitions from the post-war period have been examined to date. The aim of the project is to trace the provenance of these books as completely as possible. Around 1,000 titles required closer investigation as suspicious instances. 14 cases have been found to date where acquisition by gift or exchange was categorised as unlawful. For most of the exchanged items, however, the findings did not yield sufficient evidence to enable a clear-cut classification to be made. For this reason, a number of suspected cases remain unresolved. The work also involves documentation and preparation as a contribution to the exhibition.

The project Provenienzrecherchen in den Beständen der Oberlausitzischen Bibliothek der Wissenschaften Görlitz [“Provenance research in the holdings of the Upper Lusatian Library of Sciences”] was funded by the German Lost Art Foundation.

The exhibition can be viewed from 28 August 2024 to 28 February 2025 at Barockhaus Görlitz.

To the accompanying booklet