Inheritance investigation on the objects of the so-called Silberzwangsabgabe (compulsory silver levy) in the Münchner Stadtmuseum (Munich City Museum)

In 1939 and 1940, the Munich City Museum acquired 210 silver objects from the stock of the so-called Silberzwangsabgabe (compulsory silver levy) at the Städtisches Leihamt (municipal pawn shop). After the war, some of the Jewish families affected at the time made efforts to have their property returned. In the course of this, a total of 66 silver objects were restituted to the owners at the beginning of the 1950s. Today, 144 objects are still in the holdings of the Munich City Museum. Despite intensive research, it has not yet been possible to return these silver objects.

Thanks to new file discoveries, it is now possible to assign the objects in the museum to the names of their former Jewish owners. A total of 47 affected families have been identified. Based on these new sources, the Munich City Museum now wants to find out the descendants of the families in order to initiate the return of the silver objects.

The project begins with a systematic review of the relevant archives and restitution files for the family names now available. Through this file comparison, the families are to be clearly verified. Parallel to this, an exchange is taking place with colleagues on site (Bavarian National Museum, Jewish Museum, Public History, City Archives, State Archives, Main State Archives, Central Institute for Art History) and the New York State Department of Financial Services Holocaust Claims Processing Office (HCPO).

Once the victims' families have been identified beyond doubt, research on their fates, descendants and legal successors is carried out using the relevant databases, Ancestry and biographical memorial books, as well as in exchange with colleagues. On the basis of the collected data, family trees are compiled, contact persons are identified and finally contact is made with the families. The goal is the restitution of all silver objects from the so-called Silberzwangsabgabe in the holdings of the Munich City Museum.

(c) Münchener Stadtmuseum.