Web Links

The following online resources represent a cross section of information related to the Holocaust available on the World Wide Web. To ease searching, the Web sites are grouped under topical headings and are annotated with brief descriptions. Resources are in English, unless otherwise noted. The Museum does not officially endorse any particular site or its content. We appreciate your comments and feedback about this page; please e-mail the Library at library@ushmm.org.

Latest update: December 2008

VICTIMS' ASSETS AND RESTITUTION

Web sites regarding international efforts toward restitution and reparation on behalf of victims of National Socialism.

Allianz Versicherung im Dritten Reich

[http://www.history.allianz.com/history/sp/index_en.html]
Presents a history of the Alliance Insurance Company from 1933-1945, and information on expropriation of assets during that period as well as information on post-war compensation of victims. Includes frequently asked questions, primary source documents, and a timeline. [English and German]
Austria: National Fund for Holocaust Victims

[http://www.nationalfonds.org]
Web site of the Austrian government with information about its reparation and restitution efforts for victims of National Socialism. Includes the full-text of various legal requirements and laws, links, and official contact information.
The Central Registry of Information on Looted Cultural Property 1933-1945

[http://www.lootedart.com/]
Searchable database of information and documents from forty-nine countries regarding looted property, in addition to a database with details of over 25,000 objects looted, missing, and/or identified from over 15 countries.
Claims Conference

[http://www.claimscon.org/]
Web site of the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany, featuring the Guide to Compensation and Restitution for Holocaust Survivors. Identifies and explains some of the major programs and resources for Holocaust survivors and their heirs. Includes information on the conference's sister agency, the Committee for Jewish Claims on Austria.
Claims Resolution Tribunal

[http://www.crt-ii.org/]
Official information Web site for the Claims Resolution Tribunal of the Holocaust Victim Assets Litigation against Swiss Banks and other Swiss Entities. Provides information about relevant court documents, case summaries, instructions for how to file a claim, and a collection of frequently-asked questions.
Cultural Plunder by the Einsatzstab Reichsleiter Rosenberg: Database of Art Objects at the Jeu de Paume

[http://www.errproject.org]
This database brings together for the first time in searchable illustrated form the remaining registration cards and photographs produced by the ERR covering more than 20,000 art objects taken from Jews in German-occupied France and, to a lesser extent, in Belgium. Searchable by individual objects and by the owners from whom these objects were taken, the database is a detailed record of a small but important part of the vast seizure of cultural property that was integral to the Holocaust. A Joint Project of the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany and the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum with the cooperation of the Bundesarchiv (The German Federal Archives), France Diplomatie: Diplomatic Archive Center of the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs, The United States National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), and the Commission for Art Recovery.
Czech Republic: The Holocaust Phenomenon

[http://old.hrad.cz/president/Havel/holocaust/index_uk.html]
The online gateway to information regarding the program initiated by Czech President Vaclav Havel in 1997 to further discussion about the Holocaust in the Czech Republic and to inform about ongoing projects and compensation claims. Features information on the holdings of several Czech archives and a list of individuals whose properties were stolen by the Nazis. Also includes full-text articles on the Holocaust within the Czech borders as well as a summary of the proceedings of The Holocaust Phenomenon Conference, which took place in Terezin (Theresienstadt) and Prague in October 1999.
Department of State: Holocaust Issues

[http://www.state.gov/www/regions/eur/holocausthp.html]
A portion of the Department of State's Web site focusing on Holocaust-related issues, particularly Holocaust assets. Features the full text of various reports, press releases, public remarks, and fact sheets, as well as the complete proceedings of the Washington Conference on Holocaust-Era Assets in PDF format. Includes contact information for dormant Swiss accounts and a special informational section on slave and forced labor issues.
German Forced Labour Compensation Programme

[http://www.compensation-for-forced-labour.org/]
Web site created by the International Organization for Migration, one of the organizations administering the German government's forced labor compensation fund, to inform former forced laborers about the claims process. Provides access in PDF to the newsletter Compensation News and a collection of documents related to the creation of the compensation fund and the claims process. Includes a set of links to other Holocaust compensation organizations. [English, French, German, and Spanish]
The Getty Museum: Research on Lost and Looted Art

[http://www.getty.edu/museum/research/provenance/]
Reports the activities and initiatives underway to identify and document the Holocaust-era provenance of art in the collection of the J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles. Includes images of artwork in the collection.
Herkomst Gezocht: Art and the Second World War

[http://www.herkomstgezocht.nl/]
Web site set up by the Ekkart Committee under the auspices of the Dutch government to conduct provenance research into works of art recovered after the war that are in the state's possession. Features a searchable database with images, reproductions of reports published by the Committee, and descriptions of various collections among the state's holdings. [Dutch and English]
The Holocaust Victims' Information and Support Center, Jewish Community of Vienna, Austria

[http://www.restitution.or.at]
The Holocaust Victims' Information and Support Center (HVISC), founded in 1999 through the initiative of Dr. Ariel Muzicant, President of the Jewish Community Vienna, maintains contacts worldwide with more than 14,000 Holocaust survivors. The HVISC's database contains information on over 100,000 victims, including their personal files, the Mauerbach Fund files, and internal materials from the Archive of the Jewish Community Vienna.
Holocaust Victims Assets Restitutions

[http://www.hashava.org.il/eng]
Web site of the organization that locates and conducts activities involving Holocaust victims' assets in Israel. Includes a searchable list of assets by name, country, city, asset type, and publication date. [English and Hebrew]
Hungarian Gold Train Settlement

[http://www.hungariangoldtrain.org/]
Details the settlement agreement reached in September 2005 between the United States Government and Hungarian Holocaust survivors and their heirs, regarding the government's handling of personal property found on the seized “Hungarian Gold Train” near the end of the war. Presents key court documents from the trial, a description of benefits, and contact information for further information.
International Commission on Holocaust-Era Insurance Claims

[http://www.icheic.org/]
Searchable list of life, education, or dowry insurance policies that were in effect from 1920–1945. Provides claims information in 23 different languages, including Yiddish, Hebrew, and Russian.
International Council of Museums: Spoliation of Jewish Property

[http://icom.museum/spoliation.html]
Offers information and resources for tracking and investigating lost or stolen art. Presents ICOM’s Resolution on Looted Art, guidelines and legislation on provenance research, multiple databases for art holdings, information on research projects and conferences. [English and French]
inventARISIERT: The Looting of Furniture from Jewish Households

[http://www.iff.ac.at/inventarisiert/inventar_en.html]
Online version of an exhibition held in Vienna to document the “Aryanization” of household furnishings of Austrian Jews after the Anschluss in 1938. Focuses on the stories of eight families whose furnishings were confiscated and used for the benefit of the Austrian state. Includes information on the confiscation process, along with the fate of both the owners and the goods.
Lost Art Internet Database

[http://www.lostart.de/index.php3?lang=english]
A database of cultural assets that were relocated during World War II, seized in the course of Nazi persecution, or have provenance gaps between 1933 and 1945. Includes “Search Reports” registered by private persons who lost their assets through confiscation, looting, evacuation or expulsion, and “Found Reports” registered by current owners of such assets. Allows for simple or detailed searches that include search options by keyword, type of object, personal names, place of loss, name of collection, etc. Also provides lists of related publications and links, as well as a discussion forum on the topic.
National Archives and Records Administration:
Holocaust-Era Assets

[http://www.archives.gov/research/holocaust/]
Research guide to the National Archives and other repositories, and information on miscellaneous resources about Holocaust-era assets. Includes finding aids, conference proceedings, links to international organizations, research papers, and news briefs.
Nazi Gold (film)

[http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/nazis/]
Companion Web site to a documentary by the public television program, Frontline, exploring the financial dealings between Switzerland and Nazi Germany. Includes a chronology of events, links to related resources, and a guide to claiming assets.
Nazi-Era Provenance Internet Portal Project

[http://www.nepip.org/]
Online gateway to a searchable database of over fourteen thousand artworks of questionable provenance held by U.S. museums. Provides background on Nazi art thefts, search advice, descriptions of each artwork, and information on participating museums. Sponsored by the American Association of Museums.
Presidential Advisory Commission on Holocaust Assets in the United States

[http://pcha.ushmm.org/]
Web site for the Commission charged with identifying stolen Holocaust-era assets that have come into the possession of the United States government and advising the President on policies such as restitution. Provides information about the Commission's mission and organization, and presents the full-text of its final report, “Plunder and Restitution,” issued in December 2000. Also offers links and contact information to other resources and organizations.
Switzerland & the Holocaust Assets

[http://www.giussani.com/holocaust-assets/welcome.html]
Independently produced online resource of information about Holocaust-era assets, with an emphasis on Switzerland. Features articles, reports, links, and bibliographies produced about the controversy from June 1997 to July 2001.
Switzerland: Independent Commission of Experts

[http://www.uek.ch/]
Web site for the Independent Commission of Experts established by the Swiss federal assembly and mandated to investigate the volume and fate of assets moved to Switzerland before, during and after the Second World War. Describes the Commission's history, purpose, and organization. Provides access to the Commission's press releases and reports in PDF format. Also includes links to Swiss repositories and organizations. [German, French, Italian, and English]
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum:
International List of Current Activities Regarding Holocaust-Era Assets

[http://www.ushmm.org/assets/]
Project of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, in conjunction with the Washington Conference on Holocaust-Era Assets. Provides an annotated resource page featuring international organizations and resources that deal with restitution and compensation claims, organized by country and type of asset.
World War II Provenance Research Online

[http://www.imj.org.il/Imagine/irso/]
Online catalog of approximately 1,300 paintings, drawings, and other objects looted by the Nazis and now held by the Israel Museum in Jerusalem. Includes images of the objects searchable by artist, collection, subject, or keyword.

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VICTIMS' ASSETS AND RESTITUTION