Silverware from the "Silver Levy"

Acquisition of the silverware (1939–1940)

Between 1939 and 1940, the Münchner Stadtmuseum acquired 212 items of silverware from Munich’s Municipal Pawn Office (Städtisches Leihamt). This collection was entirely composed of items owned by Jewish citizens who had been forced by the State to hand them over to the Municipal Pawn Office’s purchasing department by the nationwide enforcement of the "Third Decree on the Basis of the Ordinance regarding the Registration of Jewish Assets" of 21st February 1939. Over 2,000 of Munich’s Jews were forced to relinquish their valuables to the Pawn Office in Augustenstraße – almost 10 tons of valuables were confiscated in Munich alone. All gold, platinum, jewelry and precious stones were sent to Berlin – silver alone was “recycled” in Munich and in over 60 other towns and cities in the German Reich.

Post-1945 Restitution and Unclaimed Silverware from the Museum’s Holdings

Post-1945, a total of 69 items of silverware were returned to their rightful owners as part of the reparation process that followed the fall of the Nazi regime. Families whose property had been confiscated were required to apply for restitution by a fixed deadline. A total of 140 found a home in the Münchner Stadtmuseum’s Applied Arts Collection while three were classed as war losses. The vast majority had been forged by Munich-based silversmiths between the 18th and 20th centuries.

Provenance Research from 2012

Despite extensive research beginning in 2012, it initially proved impossible to trace former owners. Although the items all bore an "acquisition register number" from the Pawn Office, these numbers did not link to specific individuals. Consequently, in 2012, the Münchner Stadtmuseum posted them on Lost Art. In 2014, it also held a small exhibition of the collection, accompanied by a catalog. 

New Sources Come to Light in 2022

Close collaboration with the Bavarian National Museum and the discovery of new files in Munich archives led to a major turn of events in summer 2022. Nearly all 2,306 names of the Munich families who were forced to hand over their valuables to the Pawn Office finally came to light. The Münchner Stadtmuseum was subsequently able to confidently attribute 137 of the 140 "silver levy" items to specific individuals and identify the names of 46 Jewish owners. Since then, the museum has searched extensively for their descendants so that the silverware can be returned to its rightful owners.

To help with this hunt for heirs, in 2023 the museum successfully applied to the German Lost Art Foundation for funding for a short project. It is also receiving extensive support from the Holocaust Claims Processing Office of the New York State of Department Financial Services (HCPO).

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By January 2026, almost all the 140 silverware items had been restituted, with just a few exceptions. The museum then contacted several hundred descendants whose families now live all over the world, many in Israel and the United States. Others have settled in the United Kingdom, Austria, Italy, Canada, various South and Central American countries, and Australia. Restitution agreements have now been signed with a total of over 200 heirs.

The families have made personal choices about the future of their heirloom. Many items went straight back to the family while others have been acquired by the museum at the family’s behest. Other families have chosen to donate their silverware possessions to the Münchner Stadtmuseum’s Applied Arts Collection or to other institutions such as the Jewish Museum Munich.

During our search for heirs, the museum compiled biographical information about all 46 families. The resulting short biographies tell the stories of the persecution, property confiscation and murder suffered by these erstwhile Munich residents, and of their emigration and new beginnings. These short biographies can be accessed via an album in our Online Collection (German only). The personal stories they recount not only contribute to a culture of remembrance but serve to help us understand the historical events and confiscation of property surrounding the "silver levy".

"Munich Roots" – Meeting the Heirs

In 2024 and 2025, we took full advantage of our close contact with the many heirs and held two "Munich Roots" gatherings. Each was attended by eight families. The descendants of the original owners visited locations significant to their family history and were delighted to gain insights into the original archives containing information about their ancestors and into the Nazi era in Munich.