A Polish entrepreneur is demanding that the auction at the Felzmann auction house be stopped, as items belonging to victims of German crimes during World War II have been put up for sale. In the letter sent to the company in both Polish and German, we point out the grossly unethical nature of the auction, the fact that the items originate from German and Soviet crimes, as well as the legal obstacles to conducting it, said the businessman’s attorney, Bartosz Lewandowski.
The German auction house Felzmann in Neuss, North Rhine-Westphalia, has scheduled for Monday an auction during which items belonging to victims of World War II are to be sold. Among the items are, for example, a notebook with the work of a Polish man forced into labor in a concentration camp, armbands with the Jewish star, documents issued to prisoners, and unsent letters from mothers to children held in camps. One of the most valuable items, priced at 12,000 euros, is a collection of letters exchanged by a Jewish family from Wierszów. Many of these memorabilia contain full personal data and names.
The scandalous auction has already prompted a reaction from the President of the Republic of Poland, Karol Nawrocki.
Letter from the attorney to the auction house
Attorney Dr. Bartosz Lewandowski announced on social media that, on behalf of the entrepreneur Radosław Tadajewski, he had sent a demand to the auction house Ulrich Felzmann GmbH & Co. KG to halt the auction.
In the letter sent to the company in both Polish and German, we point out the grossly unethical nature of the auction, the fact that the items originate from German and Soviet crimes, as well as the legal obstacles to conducting it. At the same time, on behalf of Mr. Radosław Tadajewski, I declared that – should the auction house refuse to withdraw the items from sale – he offers to purchase the entire collection in order to donate it to Polish museums, Lewandowski stated.
The letters were also sent to the German Embassy in Poland and the Polish Embassy in Germany, as well as to the foreign ministries of both countries. Lewandowski notes in the letter sent to the auction house that this type of trade is incompatible with both Polish and German law, “which is intended to provide special protection for the memory of the victims of German crimes”.
It was also stressed that the personal rights of the victims’ heirs are being violated.
It is all the more outrageous given that, in 2016, German law was adopted that significantly restricted the possibility of selling so-called German cultural assets, the attorney wrote.