The Postwar Fate of Einsatzstab Reichsleiter Rosenberg Archival and Library Plunder, and the Dispersal of ERR Records

Abstract

Alfred Rosenberg was one of Nazi Germany’s most successful “looters.” The Einsatzstab Reichsleiter Rosenberg (ERR), organized specifically for plunder under his direction, seized cultural property across Nazi-occupied territories. This research note traces what happened to the ERR’s hoard of books and archival materials that ended the war in the ERR evacuation center headquartered in Ratibor (now Polish Racibórz), in Upper Silesia. In contrast to the treasures found in the Western occupation zones of Germany and Austria, a large part of the property in Silesia fell into Soviet hands. Thus plundered a second time, it was held in secret for decades. Only recently has it been possible to find and identify the displaced books and archives, and to raise the issue of restitution.1 The author addresses the issue of where the ERR’s own records were scattered, as well as current efforts to bring them together electronically and make them widely accessible to researchers.

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