Museum of Military History

Common information

 

Address

Arsenal, Objekt 1
1030 Vienna

Website

E-Mail

Telephone

050201 10 60001

Provenance research

 

Provenance researcher

MMag. Stefan Kurz
 

The Museum of Military History/Institute of Military History has been involved with the work of the Commission for Provenance Research since April 1998 when it began the ongoing process of investigating its collections and holdings for indications of unlawful Nazi-era property seizure on the basis of the Art Restitution Act (Federal Law Gazette I no. 181/1998). More than 20,000 objects were added to the Museum’s inventories in the period 1938–1945 alone, covering a wide range of objects such as weapons, uniforms, photographs, printed matter and works of art. The staff members in charge of provenance research (1998, 2000–2010: Dr. Christoph Hatschek, 2010 - 2020 Dr. Walter Kalina, since 2020 Mag. Stefan Kurz) examine the objects for questionable provenance, such as direct property seizures, purchases from people persecuted under the Nazi regime or links to export bans on restituted objects after 1945.
Following the restitution of 22 objects between 1945 and 1998, since the enactment of the Art Restitution Act, 17 dossiers and statements of facts have been submitted, which have enabled the restitution of over 219 further objects to the legal successors of the former owners. There are also a number of objects ready for restitution that can be returned as soon as the heirs have been successfully traced in partnership with the Jewish Community Vienna and the Federal Ministry of Art, Culture, Civil Service and Sport.