Detail page - Stiftung Preußischer Kulturbesitz

Shared responsibility for Europe’s history – Germany returns further cultural artefacts taken during the war to Poland.

As part of the German-Polish Forum, various cultural artefacts that were confiscated or removed during the German occupation of Poland in the Second World War were returned to the Republic of Poland today. These returns symbolise the close German-Polish cooperation in addressing historical injustices and are an expression of Germany’s responsibility towards Poland.

Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul praised the returns: 

“Eighty years after the end of the Second World War, cultural artefacts looted during the war and the occupation can now be returned to Poland in close cooperation with the custodian institutions and the Polish side. This restitution is an expression of mutual respect, Germany’s enduring responsibility and our partnership based on trust. On the occasion of the 35th anniversary of the German-Polish Friendship Treaty, it further strengthens the close ties between our countries. Remembering the past, taking responsibility for the future and reconciliation as a task for future generations continue to guide our actions today.”

Minister of State for Culture Wolfram Weimer stated:

“I am delighted that the hymn ‘Gaude Mater Polonia’ is being returned to the Polish people. It is one of the country’s oldest works of religious poetry. Today’s return is an important gesture of acknowledgement of historical injustice. It is the result of thorough provenance research by Germany’s cultural heritage institutions, as well as close and trusting cooperation with our Polish partners. In doing so, we are writing a new chapter in the culture of remembrance in both our countries.”

Marion Ackermann, President of the Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation (SPK), stated:

“I am delighted that this manuscript, containing an early version of the anthem ‘Gaude Mater Polonia’ – a manuscript that bears witness to one of the darkest periods in the long history of German-Polish relations – can now be returned to Poland. We are now linked to Poland’s leading cultural institutions by a spirit of friendly cooperation, which we would like to further strengthen. For example, the State Library will soon be collaborating with four Polish libraries as part of a third-party-funded project, and from tomorrow the National Museum in Warsaw will be a guest at the Old National Gallery on Museum Island.”

Federal Minister for Transport Patrick Schnieder stated:

“The current geopolitical situation and today’s celebrations remind us of just how valuable the German-Polish relationship is. We experience this every day in the realm of mobility: people from Poland and Germany make use of the many cross-border connections, both by rail and by road, on a daily basis. This shows just how vibrant and natural our partnership is today. I am therefore all the more delighted, as part of the 35th anniversary celebrations, to be returning model trains and artefacts that belong historically in Poland.”

The Lord Mayor of Pforzheim, Peter Boch, explained:

“By returning the ring, we are acting on the conviction that historical responsibility cannot be viewed solely from a legal perspective. The ring holds exceptional cultural and symbolic significance for Poland. That is why the Pforzheim City Council has decided to return it. We see this step as a sign of respect and friendship towards our Polish neighbours. Precisely as a city that has itself experienced the consequences of war and destruction, we know how important reconciliation is for coexistence in Europe.”

Background

Since the German-Polish intergovernmental consultations on 1 December 2025, cooperation on the return of cultural property displaced as a result of the war has gained significant momentum. A German-Polish working group, established on the initiative of Federal Chancellor Friedrich Merz and led by the Federal Foreign Office, is working together with the Polish Ministry of Culture, the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media, and the embassies of both countries to process ongoing restitution cases.
Each of the cultural objects handed over today has its own, often eventful, provenance history.

Medieval manuscript containing a fragment of the anthem ‘Gaude Mater Polonia’

The Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation (SPK) is returning a medieval manuscript containing part of the text of the Polish anthem “Gaude Mater Polonia”. The booklet, consisting of six parchment leaves, found its way – by as yet unknown means – to the Berlin State Library, where it was held as an external deposit. It originates from the library of the seminary in Płock, whose collections were looted and largely destroyed during the Second World War.

The most valuable manuscripts from this library were taken to Königsberg by the German occupying authorities. It has not yet been possible to establish conclusively how the manuscript subsequently came to be part of the Berlin State Library’s collection. However, visible stamps from the seminary library clearly confirm its origin.

The three double-leaf pages were probably originally part of a codex from the late 14th century. They were presumably removed from it in the 16th or 17th century and used in another book. This is evidenced by traces such as soiling, creases and cuts. 

The item can be viewed at the following URL:https://resolver.staatsbibliothek-berlin.de/SBB0003972B00000000

Railway miniatures and accessories from the Warsaw Transport Museum

The BMV is transferring eleven items from the holdings of the Federal Railway Assets, which originally belonged to the collection of the Warsaw Transport Museum. The railway miniatures and accessories were on display in Warsaw until the summer of 1940 and were transferred to what was then the Berlin Transport and Construction Museum during the German occupation.

Their provenance could be traced using historical accession records. It had already been established during the scholarly cataloguing of the collections of what is now the German Museum of Technology in Berlin that the items had been ‘acquired from the Warsaw Transport Museum’ in September 1940. Since 2003, they had been registered in the ‘Lost Art’ database as cultural property displaced as a result of the war.

Jagiellonian ring from the Pforzheim Jewellery Museum

The Lord Mayor of Pforzheim is presenting a ring from the first half of the 16th century, attributed to King Sigismund I the Old. The ring may have been a gift from his wife, Bona Sforza, and is thought to have belonged to the so-called Royal Casket of the Czartoryski princely family in Kraków. 

Shortly before the German invasion of Poland, the collection was evacuated to Sieniawa, where it was presumably looted by German troops in September 1939. The ring later found its way to Germany and was donated to the Pforzheim Jewellery Museum in 1963 as part of a larger collection of rings.

Crafted from high-carat yellow gold, the ring is set with a diamond weighing approximately 3.5 carats and is considered one of the outstanding examples of courtly Renaissance jewellery art.

Today’s restitutions follow on from previous restitutions, including those of the so-called Teutonic Order documents and a sculpted head from Marienburg to Poland. The Federal Government will continue to examine further Polish requests for restitution and, within the framework of the working group, systematically advance cooperation with the relevant institutions at federal, state and local level. 

Contact

Federal Foreign Office: presse(at)diplo(dot)de

Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media: presse(at)bkm-info.bund(dot)de

Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation: presse(at)spk-berlin(dot)de

Federal Ministry of Transport: presse(at)bmv.bund(dot)de

City of Pforzheim: info(at)pforzheim(dot)de