First check of Nazi-looted museum collections in Museum Schloss Bernburg, Kreismuseum Bitterfeld, Museum für Naturkunde und Vorgeschichte Dessau, Freilichtmuseum Diesdorf, Museum Schloß Neuenburg (Bestände ehemalig. Kreismuseum), Museum Heineanum Halberstadt, Prignitz-Museum Havelberg, Museum im Schloss Lützen, Kreismuseum Osterburg, Städtische Museen Tangermünde, Spengler-Museum Sangerhausen, Salzlandmuseum Schönebeck, Börde-Museum Burg Ummendorf, Museum Schloß Neu-Augustusburg Weißenfels, Harzmuseum Wernigerode, Museum Zörbig

The project involved a search for Nazi-looted property at 16 museums in Saxony-Anhalt. The following institutions were involved:

1. das Museum Schloss Bernburg,
2. das Kreismuseum Bitterfeld,
3. das Museum für Naturkunde und Vorgeschichte in Dessau,
4. das Freilichtmuseum Diesdorf,
5. das Museum Schloss Neuenburg in Freyburg (Unstrut),
6. das Museum Heineanum in Halberstadt,
7. das Prignitz-Museum am Dom Havelberg,
8. das Museum im Schloss Lützen,
9. das Spengler-Museum in Sangerhausen,
10. das Salzlandmuseum in Schönebeck,
11. das Winckelmann-Museum in Stendal,
12. die Städtischen Museen in Tangermünde,
13. das Börde-Museum Burg Ummendorf,
14. das Museum Schloss Neu-Augustusburg in Weißenfels,
15. das Harzmuseum Wernigerode und
16. das Heimatmuseum im Schloss Zörbig.1

These museums are mainly run by local authorities. In addition to 13 municipal and regional museums, the holdings of two natural history museums and one archaeology and art museum were also analysed.

The first check followed on from the pilot project that was carried out at five museums in Saxony-Anhalt in 2016/2017, which yielded a wide range of fresh insights.

The aim of the project was to examine whether there are any objects in the museums that are suspected of having been unlawfully seized from their owners during the National Socialist era.

In addition, the museum association Museumsverband Sachsen-Anhalt e. V. was able to gain insights into the history of the museums and their collections as well as shedding light on the personal links between the museum directors and the local protagonists during the National Socialist era (see table). Various documents from the museum association in the Prussian province of Saxony and in the Free State of Anhalt from the National Socialist era were also found in the respective museum archives and municipal archives, including letters, event programmes, membership applications and newsletters. These can also be analysed with a view to tracing the history of the association and help answer the question of how the museum advisory service and its Nazi networks influenced museum work.

Very little evidence of Nazi-looted property or none at all was found at the open-air museum Freilichtmuseum Diesdorf, Museum Schloss Lützen, the Tangermünde municipal museums and Börde Museum at Ummendorf Castle. The finds (Judaica, masonic items) in Museum Schloss Bernburg, the district museum Kreismuseum Bitterfeld and the local history museum in Schloss Zörbig are probably not sufficient to warrant a separate in-depth proposal. In Dessau, the Max Seemann collection (museum director) is certainly worth researching more closely because he was probably persecuted as a half-Jew and possibly sold his collection under pressure in 1934/35. In-depth provenance research is required at the Winckelmann-Museum Stendal, particularly in connection with the Rudolph Grosse Collection. The recommendation is for Prignitz Museum at Havelberg Cathedral to submit a short-term proposal for the two Judaica and their Lost Art entry. Spengler Museum has been advised to submit a short-term proposal for the restitution of a cabinet. Harz Museum in Wernigerode was to search for works purchased through the art trade during the Nazi era and if necessary clarify their provenance. Several references to possible cases of Nazi-looted property were also discovered at Museum Schloss Neuenburg. Museum Weißenfels is advised to carry out more in-depth research in view of numerous unresolved inventory groups.

Some objects relating to Jewish life and Judaica are to be found in seven of the museums. Masonic items were noticed in six of the first checks. There are collections from colonial contexts in twelve of the museums which underwent a first check. The majority of the museums examined are in possession of items with indications that they originate from contexts of seizure in the Soviet occupation zone/GDR.

1 It was not possible to check the 17th museum, Kreismuseum Osterburg, within the planned timeframe. It has been included in the third phase from 12/2019-11/2020.

© Museumsverband Sachsen-Anhalt e.V.