Cultural goods suspected of having been unlawfully acquired during the National Socialist era and, in some cases, also in the post-war era

In the context of research on the creation and furnishing of a Catholic church in Berlin, it emerged that, from 1935 onward, use was made of the services of art dealer Rudolf Sobczyk, who dealt in art objects owned by Jewish citizens. His stock included paintings, antique furniture and tapestries from Jewish households and also liturgical objects that came from collections. From this dealer’s premises, objects came into the possession of the church and its institutions via the priest.

In the short-term project, an investigation was carried out into the extent and the ways in which art objects entered the church in question and the institutions and chaplaincies directly associated with it after approx. 1935. It also looked at whether the objects could still be found in their holdings today.

The project examined the processes in a Catholic church in Berlin during the National Socialist era. The results of this short-term project could lead to a longer-term research project in the Archdiocese of Berlin.

(c) Erzbistum Berlin