Pillaged Art and Switzerland
Assessment, Settlement, Prospects
Teresa Giovannini, Marc-André Renold, Carolyn Olsburgh, Friederike Ringe
Deutsche Fassung
Abstract
During the Second World War, Switzerland played a role as a transfer point for art pillaged by the Nazis. Right after the war, special legislation was passed on the restitution of pillaged art. Moreover, Swiss civil law contains general compelling rules on the restitution of stolen objects. More recently, historians and experts have investigated Switzerland’s past. The large museums have committed themselves to clearing up the origins of works in their collections under certain conditions and to providing access to their archives. A Contact Bureau on Looted Art was established at Switzerland’s Federal Office for Culture. Another desirable step would be legislation for implementing the Council of Europe’s 1999 resolution on the issue.
(Osteuropa 1-2/2006, pp. 341–354)