After long negotiations, a compromise was found between the Hohenzollern family and the German authorities concerning family claims on certain historical goods present in public collections. This compromise provides for the creation of a foundation of public utility, co -managed by representatives of the State and the Hohenzollern family, which will manage around 27,000 objects, including many books and historical pieces from the old Hohenzollern museum.
Among these objects are seven precious snuffs from Frédéric II, two of which will remain on a permanent loan in museums, while the others will be returned to the family. This also obtains a right of way on around 6,000 objects from public collections. These works can no longer be moved or exposed without its agreement.
“This agreement is an immense success for Germany as a cultural place and for the public of art lover”said the new German Minister of Culture Wolfram Weimer. This agreement thus puts an end to a centuries of hundred years between the descendants of the last German emperor and the state.
Following the proclamation of the Weimar Republic in 1918, which led to the abdication of Emperor Guillaume II, the German monarchy ended and his property was confiscated. In 1926, a contract was signed between the Prussian state of the time and the Hohenzollern in order to determine the distribution of properties. Nevertheless, ambiguity as to property and restitution requests has continued for decades.
The current Prince of Prussia, Georg Friedrich, has been negotiating since 2014 with the federal and regional authorities to obtain the restitution of thousands of works of art and financial compensation for the palaces and expropriated goods. These discussions also focused on whether the family had favored the Nazi diet. Negotiations remained blocked for several years, but in 2023, legal proceedings were closed, paving the way for new discussions in the fall of 2024.
In return, the Hohenzollern family renounces other claims, in particular on real estate expropriated after 1945, and recognizes the Nazi collaboration of Guillaume II.
However, the agreement has not yet entered into force. It must still be approved by the control bodies of the Prussian cultural heritage foundation and the German historical museum, which should take place in the coming weeks.
