HUNGARY Ministry of National Cultural Heritage In an effort to restore looted art to its rightful owners, the Hungarian National Gallery in Budapest maintained a database of more than 40,000 works of art and handed over all of its data to the Ministry of National Cultural Heritage. The ministry has been engaged in resolving the question of looted artworks for several years and acts as the negotiator on behalf of the Hungarian state on these matters. Contact: Dr. István Ecsedy, Deputy State Secretary for Public Collections and General Education Wesselényi utca 20-22 1077 Budapest Hungary Telephone: +36 1 484 7100 Telephone: +36 1 375 7533 Fax: +36 1 375 8898 http://www.beutekunst.de/bremen/sow4/ar2.html MAZSÖK [Jewish Heritage in Hungary Public Endowment] On March 4, 1997, the Hungarian Parliament passed legislation concerning restitution to Hungarian Holocaust survivors. The legislation was passed to comply with the Paris Treaty of 1947, which stipulates the need to compensate members of Jewish communities and their heirs who suffered or perished during the Holocaust. The legislation established the Jewish Heritage in Hungary Public Endowment to oversee restitution issues in Hungary. The Civil Foundation provides aid to victims of Nazi persecution and may be contacted about compensation and claims issues. Contact: Tüköry utca 3. Budapest 1054 Hungary Telephone: +36 (1) 269 1068 Fax: +36 (1) 269 1518 http://www.mazsok.hu (Hungarian) http://cgi.hu.inter.net/mazsok/user-cgi-bin/activity.php?l=en (English) Conferences Hungary participated in the London Conference on Nazi Gold. Hungary participated in the Washington Conference on Holocaust-Era Assets. Proceedings of the Washington Conference can be found at http://www.state.gov/www/regions/eur/holocaust/heac.html Hungary participated in the Vilnius International Forum on Holocaust Era Looted Cultural Assets. Proceedings of the Vilnius Forum can be found at http://www.vilniusforum.lt/proceedings/index.htm