Viennese restitution commission: Maria Berger heads historical processing

Viennese restitution commission: Maria Berger heads historical processing

In a significant step towards dealing with assets withdrawn during National Socialism, Maria Berger, former Federal Minister and judge at the European Court of Justice, was appointed the new chairman of the Vienna Restitution Commission. Mayor Michael Ludwig announced the decision, as the successor to the deceased Mag. Walter Hellmich, who was at the head of the Commission for over 25 years. Ludwig considers the historical responsibility of Vienna to throw light on the dark chapters of National Socialism and to recognize the suffering of those affected, such as

a new era for provenance research

Maria Berger, who will take up her office on January 1, 2025, not only brings extensive legal expertise, but also a sharp view of European law. In the past, Vienna has tried through systematic provenance research to identify and return robbed property since 1999. So far, these efforts have led to the return of over 5,900 objects from the Vienna Museum and the Vienna Library, reports voeb-b.at . In total, more than 2,856 individual objects and numerous archive materials have been restituted since the beginning of the returns, which occupies the committed work of the Commission.

City Councilor Dr. Andreas Mailath-Pokorny confirmed that the return of the property in Austria stole during the Nazi era is still "inadequate and far too slow". However, Vienna has actively decided to choose a proactive approach that consists of researching owners or their heirs, instead of only reacting to reports. This is a decisive difference to the federal government's procedure, which treats responsibility more passively.

Berger himself expressed optimistic about the upcoming challenges and sees in her many years of experience the opportunity to successfully process complex legal and human aspects. When you take office, the mandate of all other members of the restitution commission is also renewed, which underlines the continuous obligation of Vienna to deal with the Nazi past.