Press Release 08-21-2001

RÐCKGABE (RESTITUTION)

Intervention for the awareness
of robbery and disguise
in the festival town of Salzburg

Within the scope of the International Summer Academy for Fine Arts 2001.

By Wolfram P. Kastner and Martin Krenn in cooperation with the following students: Maria Barthel, Tanja Boukal, Simone M. Paischer, Ian Pedigo, Martin Pi and Horst Reichard

ÝAmid the Appearance of Legality: Robbery without Restitution

After the ìunionî of Austria with the NS system in 1938, Jewish citizens were excluded from the public legal system.Ý Immediately following began the imprisonment of the Jewish people and the federal seizure of Jewish property.

These actions were realised ìlegallyî by the enforcement of specially established rights that benefited members of the ìAryanî nation. The Nazi term ìArisierungî is nothing else than a synonym for nationally sanctioned robbery.Ý The result was that many people were granted rights to claim the property of their Jewish neighbours.Ý Houses, furniture, jewellery, books and other personal possessions of the persecuted Jews were stolen by their ìAryanî neighbours, or were bought for ridiculously low amounts.

In the state documents (Arisierungsakten), the names of the ìAryanî profiteers, the stolen furnishings, the real estates and the meager amounts that Jewish owners were forced to accept or were reported with bureaucratic meticulousness.Ý These sales were paid to banks, and not fully redeemable by the Jewish owners due to special taxes that extracted fees for the transference of Jewish property and also for the enforced Jewish emigration out of the country (the ìEntjudungsabgabeî and the ìReichsfluchtsteuerî).Ý

After 1945, the private and public restitution of all or any possessions has been dragged out, made more difficult or made impossible. Despite of a few exceptions, there has been no return of anything.

The political and judicial systems, administrations and private profiteers did everything to disguise these facts and have refused any restitution, rather than making an attempt to arrange it.

How many households in Salzburg still own such unlawful property?

This intervention entitled ìR¸ckgabeî ("Restitution"), aims to visualise this buried scandal.

ìR¸ckgabestelle Salzburg î (ìRestitution Point Salzburgî), tries to bring attention to these stolen possessions at specific locations in the city. These objects are marked in a simple and effective way and are placed in the public view.

The marking of these objects informs the public about what happened and what has been neglected, as well as starting a process of public awareness and discussion.

All political forces, public and legal authorities, and private profiteers of this "legal" robbery are being demanded for the return of stolen possessions to the deprived and their heirs.

The "Restitution Point" offers information and discussion.Ý Documents about the refused returns of possessions are displayed also.

We are thankful for further remarks and suggestions.

Opening hours of the return counter:

21^st of August ñ 1^st of September 2001

Gallery 5020, Sigmund-Haffner-Gasse 12/1

Tue ñ FriÝ 2 p.m. ñ 6 p.m.
Sat 10 a.m. ñ 1 p.m.

Discussion: Thursday, 23^rd of August, 7 p.m.

With Albert Lichtblau (historian commission), Marko Feingold (society of cultural affairs), Wolfram P. Kastner and Martin Krenn (artists)