Restitution of Objects of Cultural Heritage from Austria to Yugoslavia after 1945

Abstract

The paper discusses the restitution of objects of cultural heritage from Austria to Yugoslavia after 1945. The findings present a basis for further art historical research of provenance. The paper is based on a critical analysis of archival sources kept in the Archives of Yugoslavia, the Archives of the Republic of Slovenia and the Heritage Information and Documentation Centre (INDOK Centre) of the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Slovenia, which have not yet been interpreted in this context. The paper focuses on the circumstances in which the restitution was carried out, crucial protagonists and institutions, and offers the quantitative analyses of the realization of restitution claims for objects of cultural heritage that were filed by Yugoslavia or Slovenia against Austria. The paper attempts to pinpoint the reasons for such a state and, thus, deepens our understanding of the restitution process. The answers are incorporated into the wider context of the reconstruction of post-war Europe, from the role of the allies, the political, legislative and diplomatic formation of the new state of Yugoslavia, to Europe facing war damage and the establishment of new identities as well as the doctrine of the protection of cultural heritage connected to the latter. Due to the abundance of surviving archival sources, the paper focuses on the analysis of the Yugoslav documents.