Flüchtigenrücklässe zu hunderten in Museen – Kulturgutentzug in der DDR

Using the example of a collection left behind by refugees at Museum Schloss Bernburg, this lecture examines how provenance research can shed light on historical contexts of injustice in the confiscation of cultural property in the Soviet Occupation Zone/GDR. The starting point is the property involuntarily left behind by the Fiévet couple, who fled in 1952 as a result of repression and lost a significant part of their material livelihood and identity. For the first time, this abandoned property is systematically examined alongside files on its confiscation and disposal, biographical sources, and eyewitness accounts to reconstruct the perspective of those affected and reveal the complex interplay between museums, administrative bodies, and SED structures. The aim is to discuss the role of public collections in addressing the confiscation of cultural property in the GDR and how to handle such burdened objects today.