Polish culture minister has halted a Nazi Holocaust memorabilia auction in Neuss, Germany, after receiving a report early Monday, 17 November.
Urgent Intervention
On Sunday morning, 16 November, the ministry learned of an auction that would sell items linked to victims of Nazi extermination camps. The minister stressed the reaction was immediate. With German cooperation, the sale was quickly stopped. Such incidents are not rare, and ministries must act swiftly whenever attempts to trade Holocaust relics arise.
Proposed Holocaust Auction
German media reported on Monday, 17 November, that the Felzmann auction house in Neuss intended to hold an event titled “System terror t. II 1933-1945,” offering 623 Holocaust‑related objects, including private correspondence, belonging to extermination‑camp victims. Polish President Karol Nawrocki and Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski condemned the trade, calling it reprehensible and obscene, and urged that such relics should not be commercialized for profit.
Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Minister Cienkowska confirmed she is in constant contact with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs; the Polish ambassador in Berlin has been informed and will demand the objects’ return to Poland.
Investigative Steps
After stopping the auction, the ministry will investigate the provenance of each item, tracing its origin, how it entered circulation, and whether it was removed from sites where it should remain as historical witness. The ministry is liaising with relevant institutions, seeking full documentation, and aims to secure and return the items to Poland if justified. The objective is recovery, not redemption.
German Ambassador Weighs In
German ambassador for Poland, Miguel Berger, posted on X that he welcomed the auction’s cancellation, stating it should never have occurred, and condemned the trading of documents and personal items of Nazi victims.
