Analysis of the Otto Dibbelt collection in the German Oceanographic Museum and Stralsund Museum with regard to the receipt of cultural property confiscated by the Nazis between 1933 and 1945

The aim of the project was to systematically analyse the Otto Dibbelt collection with regard to confiscation of the items as a result of Nazi persecution. In order to answer the initial question of whether there were any objectionable objects in Stralsund, the history of the collection first had to be reconstructed and the objects belonging to the collection identified. As there are neither receipt or inventory registers, nor complete lists of items, Otto Dibbelt’s estate in the German Maritime Museum (DMM) was examined for collection lists, correspondence, and other indications of the origin and history of the collected objects. Particular attention was paid to the accessions between 1933 and 1945. The provenance of objects that demonstrably entered the collection during this period was analysed and recorded.

The origins of these items was clarified wherever possible.

At the same time, research was carried out into collection objects at the various locations and institutions and existing objects were analysed for their provenance characteristics.

The history of the collection begins in Kolberg, before extending through various towns and institutions to Stralsund.

Born in Stralsund, the collection’s founder Otto Dibbelt (1881 – 1956) was a teacher and biologist who began to build up his extensive collection in the fields of cultural history and natural history in 1925 as the director of the local history museum in Kolberg. He financed this by drawing on his private fortune and with the support of his Swedish wife Astrid. Thanks to his numerous contacts, particularly in academic circles and in the art market, Otto Dibbelt was able to amass an extensive collection of natural science specimens and cultural artefacts such as prints, paintings, documents, manuscripts and fragments.

This project focused on a reappraisal of Otto Dibbelt’s involvement in the art and antiques trade during the Nazi era and its historical context.

Research was also carried out into how and under what circumstances parts of the collection were transferred from Kolberg to Stralsund during the Second World War. These objects formed the basis of the Stralsund Nature Museum founded by Dibbelt in 1951. Between 1956 and 1974, parts of the Dibbelt collection were separated out due to a reorganisation of the museum’s holdings: the Museum of Oceanography and Fisheries of the GDR was then established under new museum director Sonnfried Streicher. As a result, paintings, prints and other cultural artefacts were transferred to today’s Stralsund Museum, while other holdings were given to the Stralsund City Archive as well as to other museums and institutions outside Stralsund.

The main project outcomes were backed up with regular press liaison work. At the end of the project, a special exhibition was opened entitled "Otto Dibbelt – Sammler ohne Grenzen" [Otto Dibbelt – collector without borders]. This reassembles parts of the original collection in one place as well as demonstrating its diversity. It also provides information about provenance research and the project funded by the German Lost Art Foundation.

A subsequent symposium saw a discussion of the results, their utilisation, and the future of the collection, while the issues of professional archiving and the further processing and consolidation of the collection were also addressed.

© Deutsches Meeresmuseum Stralsund