Databases

GATEWAYS / GENERAL COLLECTIONS OF LINKS TO ARCHIVES

  • International Research Portal for Records Related to Nazi-Era Cultural Property
    The international Research Portal is a multi-country collaborative project between national, research and archival institutions to provide public access to widely-dispersed records relating to Nazi-Era cultural property through an online Portal. The Portal enables families to research their losses; provenance researchers to locate important documentation; and historians to study newly accessible materials on the history of this period.
  • Claims Conference - Looted Art & Jewish Cultural Property
    The Claims Conference supports a collection of digital and archival databases on issues relevant to looted art, including organizations that helps individuals with looted art claims, looted art and cultural property resources and updates, looted art and cultural property research and claims conference grants related to these issues. The database Cultural Plunder of the Einsatzstab Reichsleiter Rosenberg: Art Objects at the Jeu de Paume was created by the Claims Conference based on archives from several countries. The Claims Conference/WJRO has published a Descriptive Catalogue of Looted Judaica (created 2009 and partially updated 2016).
  • The Central Registry of Information on Looted Cultural Property 1933-1945
    The Central Registry was created by the Commission for Looted Art in Europe, based in London. It hosts a searchable object database (with details of over 25,000 objects) and an Information Database that contains information and documentation from 49 countries, including laws and policies, reports and publications, archival records and resources, current cases and relevant websites. Finally, the Central Registry contains a list of key research sites and resources, a list of international resources and publishes a news service.
  • Yerusha
    Literally translated as 'inheritance', Yerusha is an online hub of information regarding Jewish and Jewish-related archival materials in Europe. The Yerusha project, an initiative of the Rothschild Foundation (Hanadiv) Europe, is built upon archival collection descriptions, which will then be brought together into a single, searchable online platform hosted by the National Library of Israel. These descriptions are drawn from both archival survey projects focusing on European Jewish historical records, as well as from institutions with relevant collections.
  • The European Holocaust Research Infrastructure (EHRI)
    The EHRI Portal gives online access to dispersed sources related to the Holocaust from more than twenty organizations locate in thirteen countries, including research institutions, libraries, archives, museums and memorial sites. EHRI also offers individuals opportunities to join its human network through its online course in holocaust studies.

COMMERCIAL SEARCH DATABASE

GENEALOGY RESEARCH

National Genealogy Databases, for example:

EXAMPLES OF USEFUL DATABASES BY SUBSCRIPTION

1. HISTORICAL RESEARCH DATABASES AND ARCHIVES

  • National Archives and Records Administration Records Related to Nazi-Era Cultural Property
    The records from the U.S. National Archives (NARA) include over 2.3 million pages of documents created or received by the U.S. Government during and after World War II as part of its investigations into cultural assets that were looted or otherwise lost during the war. All of the records have been described in NARA's online catalog. Many of the records have additionally been digitized and made available for free online by our partner Fold3.com (Holocaust Era Assets records). The records are primarily in English, although some seized records are in German or other languages. There are no privacy or other access restrictions on the records.

    The images below direct the user to the National Archives online catalog, which provides both a description of each corresponding series of records and a URL in the online resource section for the digitized records on Fold3. The additional links that accompany each image direct the user to the microfilm/digital publication pamphlet as well as to the digitized records either on Fold3 or in NARA's online catalog.
  • Bundesarchiv (The Federal Archives of Germany)
    The records of the German Bundesarchiv (Federal Archives) concerning seizure, disposal and restitution of Nazi-Era looted cultural property are in Record Groups NS 8 (Kanzlei Rosenberg), NS 30 (Einsatzstab Reichsleiter Rosenberg), and B 323 (Treuhandverwaltung f�r Kulturgut bei der Oberfinanzdirektion M�nchen). The online finding aids for these relevant holdings are linked to this Portal. Many of the records are also available in digital format online. Links within the online finding aids are provided where appropriate. For the use of records that are not available digitally online, visitors should contact the Bundesarchiv prior to planning their visit.
  • Landesarchiv Berlin (Berlin State Archive)
    The WGA-Files online project on records of the Berlin restitution offices aims to provide information in the internet about files of restitution cases, in order to facilitate provenance research.

NATIONAL ARCHIVES

2. ART HISTORY

IMAGE ARCHIVES:

3. ART LOOTING AND RESTITUTION SPECIFIC

See also above at the General Databases, Historical Databases, National Archives, Art History

  • Cultural Plunder of the Einsatzstab Reichsleiter Rosenberg: Art Objects at the Jeu de Paume
    was created based on archives from several countries
  • Looted Valuables: The Holocaust Asset Collection is part of Fold3 archival material relating to looted cultural property, and it is open to free access
  • The German Historical Museum (Deutsches Historisches Museum, DHM) provides three Databases:
    • Sonderauftrag Linz (Special Commission Linz) database
      The Linz database is based on previously-known case histories of individual works of art; it brings together the information on the paintings and objects from the numerous file cards copied from the originals stored in the Bundesarchiv with the photographs copied from the BADV archive in Berlin. As a result, it does represent an instrument which can serve to identify works that still today are not recognized as forced sales. Used in association with other documents (auction catalogues, etc.), the catalogue data can also make it possible to identify other pieces among the Sonderauftrag�s works that must be regarded as confiscations. In addition, it allows art historians to view pictures that were returned to private owners in 1945 and that have not been displayed publicly since.
    • Munich Central Collecting Point Database
      Searchable even without the MCP identifying numbers, also images.
    • Hermann G�ring Database
      Contains 4263 artworks: paintings, sculptures, furniture, tapestries and other craft items that G�ring bought from the end of the 1920s until 1945 or took over from confiscated property.

  • Entartete Kunst database
    The degenerate art database has been published by the Freie Universit�t Berlin: Where applicable, private owners are indicated.
  • Victoria and Albert Museum
    The V&A; holds the only known copy of a complete inventory of Entartete Kunst confiscated by the Nazi regime from public institutions in Germany, mostly during 1937 and 1938. In two volumes, the database consists of 16,000 artworks.
  • Lost Art Internet Database
    The Lost Art Database is maintained by the Koordinierungsstelle Magdeburg, Germany�s central office for the documentation of lost cultural property. It registers cultural objects, which as a result of persecution under the Nazi dictatorship and the Second World War were relocated, moved or seized, especially from Jewish owners. Under current plans, the database will be extended. The database is divided into two areas: 1) Search Requests and 2) Found-Object Reports.
  • Descriptive Catalogue of Looted Judaica
    Created by the Claims Conference, updates are expected

RESTITUTION SPECIFIC

NATIONAL REGISTERS OF RESTITUTED ARTWORKS, LOST ARTWORKS, ARTWORKS WITH INCOMPLETE PROVENANCE

AUSTRIA

The Art Database of the National Fund of the Republic of Austria or http://artrestitution.at/

The Findbuch provides access to file holdings relating to National Socialist property seizure and restitution and compensation proceedings, which are held at Austria's State Archives and other cooperating archives:

Documents on National Socialism in Austria, expropriation, restitution and compensation
Materialien zum Nationalsozialismus

CZECH REPUBLIC

The Czech Republic maintains a list of artworks identified as confiscated by the Nazis and held in public collections in the Czech Republic. The database lists of artworks that is eligible for restitution (if ownership is proven under the applicable Czech legislation) and also restituted items.
Czech Database

FRANCE

The French Ministry of Culture (Directorate of Museums) maintains a database of approximately 2,000 MNR artworks, stolen from French Jews by the Nazis that remain to date in the custody of French museums:
Site Rose-Valland, Musées nationaux Récupération

The French Ministry of Culture website above has a special section named after Rose Valland containing additional information on spoliation in France: Rose Valland - spoliation

GERMANY

See resources above

HUNGARY

Project Heritage Revealed produced a Catalog of Art Objects from Hungarian Private Collections:

Sacco di Budapest

ISRAEL

Hashava - The Company for Location and Restitution of Holocaust Victims' Assets

Israel Museum

ITALY

Carabinieri (Italian police) database of stolen art
The Rome Jewish Community is in the process of providing a list of stolen manuscript to the Carabinieri.

NETHERLANDS

The NK collection holds approx. 4,000 artworks, what remains in state possession of the artworks returned from Germany after World War II. The results of the research of the Origins Unknown Agency are posted at:
Herkomst gezocht and at Origins Unknown

POLAND

The Ministry of Culture and National Heritage of the Republic of Poland launched a website of Poland's wartime losses, entitled Internet catalogue of Polish wartime losses

RUSSIAN FEDERATION

The Project Heritage Revealed offers:
The Federal Agency for Culture and Cinematography maintains a website and database entitled Cultural Valuables - Victims of War that presents information concerning cultural valuables affected by World War II.

UNITED KINGDOM

The web site of the National Museum Directors' Conference provides information on provenance research and contact information for 22 national museums and galleries as well as for 24 non-national museums.

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

The AAM (American Alliance - formerly Association - of Museums) established the Nazi-Era Provenance Internet Portal, a central registry of objects in U.S. museums that could have changed hands in Europe during the Nazi era, 1933-1945.

EXAMPLES OF MUSEUMS' DATABASES:

Last update: January 18, 2018