The City of Vienna asks all citizens for cooperation: Restitution of robbed Jewish property

The City of Vienna is searching for former owners of art and cultural items robbed during the Nazi era. The objects actually owned by the City of Vienna shall be returned to the parties concerned. Therefore relevant indications are requested from the inhabitants.

The Vienna City Council decided on 29 April 1999 the restitution of art and cultural items from the city's museums, libraries, archives and collections acquired during the Nazi era and considered as questionable acquisitions (robbery, confiscation,expropriation etc.) which after 1945 in the course of a transfer process according to the provisions of the export ban law passed into the possession of the City of Vienna. The municipal Council was authorized to search for the initial owners or their legal successors and to return the art and cultural items to them. Those art and cultural items where the initial owners cannot be determined anymore are handed over to the National Fund of the Republic of Austria for victims of National socialism which disposes of them in favour of the victims of the Nazi regime.

It is important to the City of Vienna that withdrawn art objects still in possession of the City shall be restored in natura to the legitimate persons and that the disposition of these objects as compensations for the victims of the Nazi era shall only represent the last solution within the restitution efforts. Therefore the Museums of the City of Vienna are publishing since 27 September 2001 on their website 148 objects acquired from Vugesta (Gestapo Office for the Disposal of the Property of Jewish Emigrants) with fotos and a detailed description of the articles on the internet. Since 27 August 2002 there is a list on the homepage of the Museen der Stadt Wien of 1545 objects acquired during the Nazi era, since September 2003 a list of 550 objects acquired from art dealers, 12 public donations and 212 acquisitions by Julius Fargel or donations where the owners at the time the Nazis came to power in Austria in March 1938 have not been identified beyond doubt. These lists have been updated on 1 July 2005.

With regard to the acquisitions by Städtische Sammlungen from Vugesta which at the time of its foundation in early automn 1940 until the end of the war "disposed" of the property of 5000 to 6000 and the furniture of at least 10000 emigrated or deported Jewish families as well as with regard to the acquisitions of Julius Fargel who simultaneously worked as an evaluator of paintings for Vugesta and as a restorer of paintings for Städtische Sammlungen there are clear indications that those art objects have been stolen from Jewish owners and are to be restored. With regard to the acquisitions of the Dorotheum auction house, to the acquisitions from art and antique dealers as well as the donations by public authorities it is assumed that a part of those objects was auctioned or sold as a result of Nazi persecution activities and are to be restored to the initial owners or their legal successors.

Museen der Stadt Wien therefore requests that relevant information about the origins of the above mentioned objects acquired from Vugesta, the Dorotheum, other art and antique dealers, public authorities and Julius Fargel and about their former owners or present-day claimants be addressed to the person responsible for restitutions at Museen der Stadt Wien, namely:

Dr. Peter Eppel
Wien Museum Karlsplatz
A-1040 Wien, Karlsplatz
Phone: +43-1-505 87 47 ext. 84034
Fax: +43-1-505 87 47 ext. 7201
e-mail: peter.eppel(at)wienmuseum.at  

or

MMag. Dr. Michael Wladika
Wien Museum Karlsplatz
A-1040 Wien, Karlsplatz
Phone: +43-664 213 0481
Fax: +43-1-505 8747 ext. 7201
e-mail: michael.wladika(at)wienmuseum.at