Search for Nazi-confiscated property in the holdings of Stadtbibliothek Bautzen (Bautzen city library), old stock/regional studies in the receipt period 1933–1945

In this project, Stadtbibliothek Bautzen examined its holdings for books that had come into its possession unlawfully in the old stock/regional studies field (formerly the scientific department) during the National Socialist era.

After intensive research in the project phase, it can be declared that no receipt books can be found at Stadtbibliothek Bautzen for the period under investigation. The confusing, partly unrecorded files were unable to provide any clarification either. Due to merging different libraries with separate organizational systems in the 1920s and a complete re-itemization or listing with various increases in the collection after the Second World War, the library’s available research tools begin with the year 1946. For this reason, it was felt that a systematic and in-depth review of the stored historic stock ought to be undertaken from the second project year onward. Beginning with year group 6 in the catalog year 1951 (year groups 1–5 are currently still being incorporated into the digital catalog system), more than 10,000 books on the storeroom shelf were systematically checked, suspect objects were recorded and provenance markings were captured and entered in a database. In addition, the found provenance markings were added to the entries on the respective books in the existing library system (WebOPAC) and, where available, the books were linked with their authority record at the German National Library (http://www.dnb.de/DE/Standardisierung/GND/gnd_node.html). Work also began on adding Stadtbibliothek Bautzen’s provenance markings to the Deutsche Fotothek image collection in cooperation with the Saxon State and University Library Dresden (SLUB). At the same time, searches were undertaken to find the owners of the suspect acquisitions. It was possible for 14 books to be explicitly identified as Nazi-confiscated property; 10 more are under suspicion. The items confiscated by the Nazis were returned to the rightful owners or their heirs. Transfer agreements were successfully reached in both cases, meaning that the library remains the holder of the books and the owners are appropriately identified as such. These cases were registered in the Lost Art Database and the found provenance markings were made available to the German Lost Art Foundation along with the owner documentation.

In the project’s third year, a book collection that once belonged to the Jewish business-owning family Edith and Georg Tietz was also discovered in the Bautzen holdings. As at least 500 books from this private library that once numbered 4,000 volumes were scattered throughout the entire holdings, the decision was taken to submit an application for a separate project focusing on the investigation, identification and restitution of these items. This project began in May this year.

Extensive press relations work resulted in a wide range of media reports in online blogs, in national and regional daily and weekly newspapers and on the radio and television.

A permanent exhibition at the Stadtbibliothek provides information about the project and presents the cases of Nazi-confiscated property and examples of unclarified provenance to an interested public audience.

(c) Stadtbibliothek Bautzen