The Felzmann Auction House in Neuss has issued a statement following a wave of criticism over its plans to sell items belonging to victims of German crimes from World War II. It claims that some of the artifacts were said to come from the families of the murdered, and that “it is not dishonest if people decide” to sell them.
The Felzmann Auction House in Neuss was scheduled on Monday to begin selling a private collection that included documents and items belonging to victims of both German and Soviet crimes during World War II. Among those protesting the auction was the International Auschwitz Committee. Ultimately, the sale was canceled. The head of the auction house communicated this decision by phone to the authorities of the federal state of North Rhine–Westphalia.
Items of German Victims… “Acquired Honestly”
In Monday’s statement, the auction house near Düsseldorf explained that it had decided to cancel the auction after the wave of criticism it received.
“We are aware that in assessing the submission of these items for auction, we made the wrong decision and we regret it if, as a result, we hurt the feelings of those affected by Nazi terror or their relatives,” it stated.
The auction house claims that the documents and items were submitted partly by… descendants of the victims. It also confirms that others came from a “private collection.” “To the best of our knowledge, all items in this collection were acquired on the open market in an honest manner,” representatives of the auction house wrote.
No Real Reflection
They added that “the decision to submit these items for sale was not made by us.” “However, we believe — also after legal analysis — that it is not dishonest if people decide to sell them,” they emphasized.
In the auction house’s view, a public auction is “the proper way,” as it “ensures transparency regarding who acquires the items offered for sale.” The institution stressed that among its customers are museums and memorial sites, and that as an auction house it “has enjoyed a good reputation for decades.”
Authorities Decline to Comment
Asked by PAP to comment on the canceled auction of World War II victims’ memorabilia, the office of German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier limited itself to noting that the auction had been canceled. “The federal president will not comment on this matter,” the president’s spokesperson Alessandro Peduto told PAP on Monday.
Earlier, however, German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul spoke out. On Sunday, he stated that “doing business on the Holocaust is repugnant” and “must be stopped.” He added that he expects no further auctions of memorabilia belonging to victims of Nazi crimes to take place in Germany.
Outrage, But Not the First Time
According to the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, the list of objects originally intended for sale by the Felzmann Auction House in Neuss included 623 items. Among the documents was, for example, a letter from an Auschwitz prisoner “with a very low number” addressed to someone in Kraków. The auction initially also planned to include memorabilia related to two Polish officers — victims of the Katyn massacre. Each of these was to have a starting price of 750 euros.
On Sunday, Süddeutsche Zeitung described the initiative of the Felzmann Auction House in Neuss as “an outrageous case.” The Munich daily pointed out that in Germany, “auctions of Nazi trinkets and Wehrmacht weapons periodically cause public indignation.”