Nazi-looted property in the manuscripts and music collection of the Bavarian State Library in Munich

The Bavarian State Library (Bayerische Staatsbibliothek, BSB), founded in 1558 by the Wittelsbach Duke Albrecht V, is with around 36.8 million media units the largest research library in Germany and one of the most important research libraries internationally. This is particularly true of its manuscript collections, especially the Latin and German manuscripts (with the shelfmarks Clm and Cgm), and the music collection (music manuscripts and printed music). The collections have been catalogued comprehensively and often in depth, and are accessible worldwide. They are continuously enriched by new acquisitions. With 3 million digitized copies, the BSB offers the largest digital library in Germany and a wide range of services in the area of innovative digital access and use.

Taking as a starting point single observations and selective inquiries and findings in suspicious items – this project ensured the first targeted investigation of Nazi looted property in the unique holdings of the BSB’s manuscripts and music. It specifically focused on the acquisitions made between 1933 and 1945. The project, originally conceived for two years, was funded for one year by the German Center for Cultural Property Losses (DZK). It continued for another year funded by the BSB. The project had three, essentially independent, parts:

1. Systematic review of the Latin and German manuscripts acquired from 1933-1945 (Clm and Cgm, the two largest and central manuscript collections)

2. Systematic review of the music collection (manuscripts and printed music) acquired 1933-1945

3. Continuation of the analyses on the accessions from the Ordensburg Sonthofen (cf. the project 2016-2019, LA15-I2016).

For the first time, the acquisition history of the manuscripts and music was systematically traced from 1933 to 1945. For this purpose, the available sources were identified and reviewed. By analyzing the procedures and the actors involved in the acquisition the collection segments involved had to be identified before taking a closer look at the provenance of individual objects. The aim was to closer examin the acquisition structures in order to identify (suspicious) cases of Nazi looted property on an object basis, to make the provenance of the objects transparent, and if necessary, to enquire in more detail with a view to restitution. The holdings investigated in the project provide important insights into the acquisition process from 1933-1945 and revealed structures that can also be applied to other holdings and individual objects.

The accessions from the Ordensburg Sonthofen, which were handed over to the Bavarian State Library by the Allies in 1948 and recorded in an accession book with approx. 36,000 entries (Gso numbers), were further analyzed title by title in the number segment 10,000 to 19,999 using the procedures established in the previous project. These books are dispersed among all the BSB’s print collection. They can only be identified via the accesssion books. The goal here continued to be the search for Nazi looted property, based on the identification of (suspicious) provenance characteristics and names of previous owners in the individual books.

In this third project, funded by the DZK, special attention was given to the consolidation and clear documentation of (NS looted property) suspicious features, comprising names of institutions and persons. This resulted in a transparent presentation of the many, often singular provenance indications scattered throughout the entire collection, and their classification in the Nazi looted property system. Most of the identified names still await detail examination. This documentation is also of interest for other projects, since the same (suspicious) provenances may be present in different institutions. The exchange of information on this, as it is possible in the Bavarian Provenance Research Association, in the Working Group Prove-nance Research Restitution - Libraries and within the framework of the Provenance Research Portal provided by the DZK, was intensively pursued.

Finally, individual cases were investigated in order to clarify an existing initial suspicion, to identify and further investigate in possible restitutions or to supplement restitutions that had already been made and to finalise their documentation.

Individual inquiries about Nazi looted property research by individuals, public research institutions or universities are taken into account in an established workflow.

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