The Polish president has called on the government to demand the return of 623 Holocaust‑related items being auctioned in Neuss, Germany, and to seek reparations.
Shocking Auction in Germany
On Monday 17 November, the Felzmann auction house in Neuss announced plans to host an event titled “System terrorus t. II 1933-1945” and to put up for sale 623 items related to the Holocaust belonging to the victims of the genocide.
Among the items are private correspondence, including postcards sent by families of Polish Jews, which Bild reported would be displayed without censorship, showing photographs, names, addresses of persecuted individuals and information about their descendants.
Items Offered at Auction
The German media noted that the auction will feature items such as a Star of David wristband described as a “rare original with traces of use” priced at 180 euro, and private correspondence including postcards from Polish Jewish families offered for 12 000 euro.
Additionally, a medical report from a German concentration camp detailing the forced sterilization of a man will be auctioned for 400 euro. A catalogue card of Ernst von Harnack’s arrest, a resistance fighter involved in the July 20 plot, is available for 600 euro.
German Crimes Never Juiced
President Karol Nawrocki, through spokesman Rafał Leśkiewicz, urged the Polish government to demand the sale’s cancellation, purchase all artifacts and add the cost to the overall reparations bill.
He stated, “Germany launched World War II and Poland was its first victim. German crimes have never been settled, and we continue to feel their effects. The President will relentlessly pursue reparations for Nazi atrocities committed in Poland during the war.”
National Culture Ministry Condemns Auction House
Cultural Minister Marta Cienkowska posted on X that it is unacceptable for the memory of victims to be treated as commodity. “It is not a trade in objects, but a moral, historical and human responsibility. Such practices are deeply unacceptable,” she said.
She appealed to the auction house to exercise basic decency and dignity, calling for the auction’s cancellation and the return of the items to institutions that honor Nazi victims’ memory. Cienkowska is in constant contact with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Polish ambassador in Berlin, demanding an immediate, decisive response.
Cynical and Shameful Undertaking
Vice‑President of the International Auschwitz Committee, Christoph Heubner, addressed Fézmann, urging an end to the project. He described the auction as “cynical and shameless,” accusing it of exploiting the suffering of Holocaust victims for commercial gain.
Heubner added that documents relating to the Holocaust belong to the families of the persecuted and should be displayed in museums or memorial exhibits, not sold. He warned of the risk of historical documents disappearing from public consciousness.
Auction House Position
Over six years ago, the auction house had already sold nearly 650 documents from the period. Director Reinhard Fischer defended the auction, stating that its purpose is to preserve and document historical evidence, thereby enabling a deeper understanding of that era.