German Lost Art Foundation

The Federal Republic of Germany is planning to establish a "German Lost Art Foundation". It will be established as a foundation subject to civil law. The provinces and multicipalities will also be involved in the foundation, which shall be established 2014.

The Federal Republic intends to increase its annual budget for provenance research from the current 2,7 million to 4 million Euros. The new center will be located in Magdeburg, which is already home to the "lost Art" coordination office. There are also plants to open a branch of the center in Berlin.

The center will provide assistance to public institutions in their search for Nazi-looted art in their holdings and collections.

In addition, the new center shall also offer assistance in identifying art confiscated as a result of Nazi persecution to private collectors and museums who/which wish to put the Washington Principles into practice on a voluntary basis. This will also enable smaller institutions to engage independent provenance researchers.
Other key tasks to be undertaken by the center shall include documentation and communication. The center shall also function as a new central point of access to portals like the "Central Collecting Point Munich" and the "Linzer Sammlung". Like the database on the "Art Collection of Hermann Göring", these databases were previously operated by the German Historical Museum.