Russia Plans to Return WWII Red Army Loot to Hungary

[Badger Bart]

http://www.eni.ch/articles/display.shtml?06-0083

31 January 2006

Hungarian Reformed cleric hails Putin plan to return antiquities

Jonathan Luxmoore
Warsaw (ENI). Hungary's Reformed church has welcomed a decision by Russia to return a valuable Calvinist book collection, six decades after it was seized as war booty by the Soviet Red Army.
"We're very happy this collection is returning after so many years, and we hope all the books will be included," said Zoltan Tarr, general secretary of Hungary's Reformed church, which comprises about a fifth of Hungary's 10 million inhabitants. "It's an important symbolic act, which could help heal the war wounds which are still very real in the life of Europe." The 32-year-old pastor from Debrecen in eastern Hungary was reacting to news that Russian President Vladimir Putin planned to return the books in person to the Reformed college in the eastern town of Sarospatak during a visit to Hungary, set to start on 28 February.

The lower house of the Russian legislature, the State Duma, voted on 20 January by 345 to 53 votes for a law authorising the return of 134 volumes to the Sarospatak College, something long been demanded by the Hungarian authorities.

Russia's deputy culture minister, Leonid Nadirov, told the Novosti news agency on 20 January that after approval by the upper house, the law would be passed for signature by Putin.

The collection, including Latin, Hungarian and German prayer books, as well as works on medicine, law and history, was placed for safe-keeping during the Second World War in a Budapest bank vault. Later the books were seized and taken to Russia, where they were discovered in Nizhny Novgorod's Regional Scientific Library in 1994.

Tarr said he hoped the return of books to Sarospatak would encourage Russia to return other Hungarian art treasures.

 

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[grizzly bare]

Badger,
Thanks for posting this story.
Does anyone ese feel that Tarr is a horses' a-- for his statement? The Russians finally do something to attempt to make up for a war crime which happened when most of them were children or hadn't been born, and this guy cheapens the gesture by saying he hopes all the books come back. If he gets ONE book back , he is 100% better off than before. Russia is under no obligation: they're just trying to (partially) right a wrong done by their countrymen many years ago.
Are other countries going to open their vaults and return cultural artifacts taken over the last six centuries? I doubt it.
Tarr should say "Thank you" and graciously receive whatever he gets.

JUST MY OPINION.

grizzly bare

 

[Gypsy Heart]

I dont think he was being an a__ , Griz, but you have to realize that the Hungarian Culture was virtually stripped of every historic artifact,books,documents,money ,gold ,silver ,jewels and artwork during the wars. They have lived day to day for years,in a war torn country that still feels its effects everyday. They arent like America,where we just move on.
The great bulk of the treasures...of enormous value.....kept in the banks were taken care of by units of the Soviet Red Army trained in the looting of art works. Wherever possible, these units had bank premises containing art works opened by bank staff; otherwise they used explosives, and simply removed the material they found. The circumstances of removal and temporary storage in Hungary were barbaric. When, after August 1945, the great part of the material had been taken from the central collecting points to the Soviet Union, the Hungarian governmental authorities were able to make on-site inspections. They established that an enormous amount of porcelain, mostly 18th-century Meissen and Vienna ware, remained, smashed into pieces, and that fragments of old Hungarian printed matter, documents, stamp collections and picture frames were to be found among the ashes of bonfires. Certain records refer to the fact that some several hundred tons of old silver thus removed was melted down while still in Hungary, and that the bars....art works turned into ingots....were taken to Moscow. Soviet units also destroyed or burnt in situ surviving valuables from public warehouses in the capital and from country houses, churches, libraries and archives in the provinces, taking the best items, when possible, to the Budapest collecting points and from there eastwards. They showed no consideration for premises in Hungary enjoying diplomatic protection, if these were "suspicious" for some reason. A large number of Hungarian art collections had been taken by their owners to the Swedish legation, whose actions in saving Jews had been particularly heroic. In the days following the liberation of Bu da pest, Soviet troops turned up there and opened the safes with oxyacetyline equipment, and took away their contents. All this took place after the cessation of hostilities, at great expense to Hungary, which by then was an ally, and not an enemy. This grievance is unredressed even today.
It is a wonder that after such happenings any art work remained in private hands. Today there are far fewer, considering that the (mostly illegal) export of art works con tinued without a break after 1945. It continues today, and as far as one can tell, will do so in the future as well. There are many
obvious and well-known examples of this.
You have to understand ,that the Hungarian still lives the effect of war everyday....their entire history has been ripped apart and taken.
And in the Hungarian culture....they have existed on "hope" alone for the last century....these negotiations have been going on for years.....For Tarr to state 'he hopes... " is just a natural statement. And yes ,they will be grateful for any artifact to be returned.And I do feel that every country that has looted national treasures should return them.
Gypsy...aka...Hungarian Hellcat

 

[grizzly bare]

Gypsy,
Can't buy that argument. I have blood ties to three Native American cultures and to Africa. The Eastern and Western Cherokees were treated abominably, and the Apaches were treated worse! Don't even get me started on the treatment of Blacks from 1619 to today.

Every shred of dignity was taken from these people, but guess what? Most of my friends and kin are doing okay. War is hell, but living in the past is a Hell of one's own making.
What was it the old timers said? "A mill wheel don't turn on water that's past"?

It has been 60 years. What percentage of ANY country's population was alive that long ago? Don't let them wail about the past, help them cheer about the future.

Don't want to argue, just don't understand their feeling of outrage. I still think they should be grateful the RedCommieBastards are bginning to act like civilized people.

grizzly bare

 

[Gypsy Heart]

I agree Grizz....move forward....I am all for that.....There are tho, many people who dwell on the past and do not move forward from that point....and its imbedded into them every day of their lives by the culture they are living in.... even taught to them daily in their schools so the wound is always open and never given a chance to heal.....I am not one for whining...but then I live in America....and actually have nothing to whine over....my family came from Hungary and England, and both sides married into the Cherokee/Cheyenne Nation's .....so I totally understand....And I agree ....I think they should be grateful for anything any country decides to return to them

 

[grizzly bare]

coindetector,
Amigo, got no quarrel with you. We're talking apples and oranges here.
I said that MY KIN AND FRIENDS were doing okay. Your reply said MANY. Not the same thing at all.
In my PERSONAL FAMILY almost all have long since forgiven people who abused our ancestors. But that doesn't mean we forget. One of my "WHITE" ancestors declared war on the Crow nation after some Crow warriors attacked his camp while he was away and killed his Native American wife and child. Before he finished, he killed ONE THOUSAND Crow indians. To make it more heinous and to scare the bejeesus out of the Native Americans, he frequently cut open the still-warm bodies and ate their livers raw!
I still walk softly around people of the Crow Nation, and damn I do like liver.

grizzly bare

 

[nahabit]

Personally I, that would not began to return to allies of nazis. The trophy is a trophy and is not subject to return!

 

[stefen]

All nations should be thankful that their cultural past is slowly being repatriated regardless of how or why it was taken, stolen or was just a trophy of war.

On a more personal level, Nazi war booty now in the hands of banks, libraries, museums and other unnamed institutions are also slowly being returned to their rightful citizenry.

I don't need or want monetary compensation for the loss of family members, but I do feel that all governments need to recognize and apologize for the wrongs they did to their own citizens and the citizens of other nations.

 

[buscadero]

Gypsy: Don't forget the infamous "Hungarian Gold Train" which was "appropriated" by U.S. Troops at the end of the war!


Grizz: Liver Eating Johnson?


Joe

 

[Gypsy Heart]

I know it well.

Here is a good article on it.


http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Holocaust/goldtrain.html#HistoryoftheGoldTrain