Fritz Kurt Lomnitz - »Besitzen Sie Gemälde,...?«

In the grain market

Excerpt from a document: signature of Fritz Kurt Lomnitz — Handwritten signature of Fritz Kurt Lomnitz from the reparations proceedings, 1 December 1953. Landesarchiv Berlin, B Rep. 025-05 no. 2128/50, fol. 23

Little is known about the Fritz Kurt Lomnitz’s life. He was born on 7 January 1890 in Breslau, the son of Henriette and Bruno Lomnitz, where he attended secondary school. He trained as a merchant in the grain and feed trade. When war broke out in 1914, Lomnitz initially volunteered for the Funkbataillon (Signal Battalion). This was followed by a military career that led to a position at the Auswärtiges Amt (Foreign Office). According to his own account, he was awarded three medals for his military service.

After the First World War, Lomnitz resumed his employment with the grain and banking company Gebr. Berlinicke & Ehrenhaus at Linkstraße 11 in Berlin, which he had begun in 1912.

His subsequent position on the board of M. Sperling Getreide-Aktiengesellschaft, with offices located at Burgstraße 26 in Berlin‑Mitte, enabled him and his family to maintain an upscale lifestyle.

In January 1916, Lomnitz married Sophie Parthey, who brought a daughter into the marriage. However, the couple separated and Lomnitz married Gertrud Friedländer in June 1922. But this marriage did not last, either. Lomnitz entered into a third marriage with Johanna Mückenbrunn.

Excerpt from a page of the commercial register, name and contact details of the Sperling company — Excerpt from the Berlin Commercial Register, entry for the company M. Sperling Getreide-Aktiengesellschaft, Berliner Handels-Register, 1930, vol. 66, p. 1002

Villa in Grunewald

Fritz Kurt Lomnitz had a villa built in Grunewald at Lassenstraße 1a by the Breslau architect Edgar Hönig, where he lived with his family from 1933 onwards. The building comprised eight rooms, including a gentlemen’s room and fireplace room, a library with hand-carved doors, and a winter garden enclosed in crystal glass.

Every picture, every bronze, the light fixtures, were carefully selected works of art.
Fritz Kurt Lomnitz im WGA-Verfahren, 1. Dezember 1953. Landesarchiv Berlin, B, Rep. 025-05 no. 2128/50, fol. 22

Plan with black drawing of a building in two views, handwritten notes in blue and green, and stamp — Street view of Villa Lassenstraße/Schwedlerstraße, 1954. Bauarchiv Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf, vol. 57, no. 1624, vol. II, fol. 6

Lomnitz had carefully selected furniture in Florentine and Baroque styles, silk wall coverings, antiques, oil paintings, silver and porcelain, bronze chandeliers, and carpets for the interior design. The house was also technologically state-of-the-art, featuring an electric stove in the kitchen and central hot water heating, among other things.

Large-format plan with black drawing of a building in various views and floor plans, handwritten notes in blue and green, and stamps — Architectural plan of the building at Lassenstraße 1a, formerly Siemensstraße 1 before 1937, with views and floor plans, 1932. Bauarchiv Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf, vol. 57, no. 1624, vol. I, fol. 21

Persecution and escape to New York

When the National Socialists came to power, Fritz Kurt Lomnitz was persecuted for being Jewish. One of the first signs of his increasing disenfranchisement was the loss of his job: in 1936, he was forced to leave his company. His villa in Grunewald had to be sold because of antisemitic laws, and in 1940 it was transferred to his stepdaughter. In August 1938, even before the November pogromsActs of violence organised and directed by the National Socialists against Jews and Jewish institutions on the night of 9 to 10 November 1938. More finally forced many Jews to emigrate, Fritz Kurt Lomnitz fled to the United States with his third wife, Johanna Lomnitz, on a visitor’s visa. From New York, he attempted to have his belongings, which he had left behind in Berlin, transported to the United States by the shipping companies A. Schäfer and Willy Kulka.

The planned shipment of his belongings, however, never took place.

Report from the Geheime Staatspolizei(EN) Politische Polizei in der Zeit des Nationalsozialismus, die politische Gegner*innen sowie Jüdinnen*Juden überwachte und verfolgte. to the Finanzamt Moabit-West regarding confiscatedBy confiscating assets, government officials initially deprived owners of the authority to dispose of their bank accounts, household furnishings, securities, etc., which were placed under state administration. More assets, 5 March 1941. BLHA, Rep. 36A (II) no. 24496, fol. 2
Report from the Geheime Staatspolizei(EN) Politische Polizei in der Zeit des Nationalsozialismus, die politische Gegner*innen sowie Jüdinnen*Juden überwachte und verfolgte. to the Finanzamt Moabit-West regarding confiscatedBy confiscating assets, government officials initially deprived owners of the authority to dispose of their bank accounts, household furnishings, securities, etc., which were placed under state administration. More assets, 5 March 1941. BLHA, Rep. 36A (II) no. 24496, fol. 2v
Certified copy of the order for the confiscationBy confiscating assets, government officials initially deprived owners of the authority to dispose of their bank accounts, household furnishings, securities, etc., which were placed under state administration. More of assets, November 24, 1941. BLHA, Rep. 36A (II) no. 24496, fol. 34

Confiscation of the household goods

On 5 March 1941, the Geheime Staatspolizei(EN) Politische Polizei in der Zeit des Nationalsozialismus, die politische Gegner*innen sowie Jüdinnen*Juden überwachte und verfolgte. (Secret State Police, Gestapo(EN) Politische Polizei in der Zeit des Nationalsozialismus, die politische Gegner*innen sowie Jüdinnen*Juden überwachte und verfolgte.) confiscatedBy confiscating assets, government officials initially deprived owners of the authority to dispose of their bank accounts, household furnishings, securities, etc., which were placed under state administration. More the Lomnitz family’s household goods, which were being stored by the forwarding companies, based on the confiscationBy confiscating assets, government officials initially deprived owners of the authority to dispose of their bank accounts, household furnishings, securities, etc., which were placed under state administration. More laws of 1933.

The Finanzamt Moabit-West (Moabit-West tax office) then ordered them to be auctioned off.

On 24 November 1941, the Gestapo(EN) Politische Polizei in der Zeit des Nationalsozialismus, die politische Gegner*innen sowie Jüdinnen*Juden überwachte und verfolgte. officially announced the confiscationBy confiscating assets, government officials initially deprived owners of the authority to dispose of their bank accounts, household furnishings, securities, etc., which were placed under state administration. More of Fritz Lomnitz’s assets. Even before this, however, Lomnitz had been unable to access his assets or prevent their “Verwertung“Verwertung” (liquidation) refers to all measures taken by the Reich financial administration to transfer stolen assets to the state treasury and, if necessary, convert material goods into cash. More” (liquidation) by the Finanzamt Moabit-West.

Shortly afterwards, the forwarding companies Willy Kulka and A. Schäfer delivered several boxes of the Lomnitz family’s belongings to Westfälische Straße 85. They were stored there until they were auctioned off by the Union auction house, owned by Leo Spik.

Small-format pre-printed invoice document with typewritten entries, handwritten additions and stamps — Invoice letter from the forwarding company A. Schäfer addressed to the Finanzamt Moabit-West, 22 April 1941. BLHA, Rep. 36A (II) no. 24496, fol. 9

Pre-printed invoice document with typewritten entries and handwritten additions — Invoice letter from the Willy Kulka forwarding company addressed to the Finanzamt Moabit-West, 18 April 1941. BLHA, Rep. 36A (II) no. 24496, fol. 8

The expert opinion – a handwritten note as a clue

Before the auction of the Lomnitz family’s movable property took place, the expert Bruno Ritter prepared an appraisal of the most valuable objects on 5 May 1941 in the rooms of the auction house. Among them, he also assessed several paintings.

For some works, the appraiser was unable to identify the artist. In several cases, he appears to have relied solely on the signatureIn the context of art and art history: the artist’s signature or initials on a work of art. More – and not always accurately.

As was customary in his appraisals, Bruno Ritter concluded with the formal statement “dass hochwertiges Kulturgut sowie wertvolle Kunstschätze nicht enthalten sind” (that no high‑quality cultural assets or valuable art treasures are included). This declaration also cleared the paintings for auction.

Vorgedrucktes Dokument mit maschinenschriftlichen Eintragungen sowie Unterschrift und Stempel

Expert opinion by Bruno Ritter, 5 May 1941. BLHA, Rep. 36A (II) no. 24496, fol. 17

Auction at Leo Spik

One day after the appraisal by the art expert, on 6 May 1941, Leo Spik, owner of the Union auction house in Berlin, auctioned off all the Lomnitz couple’s household goods.

The auction record contains only limited detail on roughly one hundred lots. Even the artworks previously appraised are listed merely as “oil paintings”. However, because the lot numbersDirectory containing detailed information on objects or lots offered at an auction. More in the appraisal and the auction record correspond, it is still possible to match the artworks with their respective buyers.

Letter from the Union auction house to the Finanzamt Moabit‑West, Mr Moser, 14 May 1941, 14 May 1941. BLHA, Rep. 36A (II) no. 24496, fol. 12
Transcript of the Union auction record, 6 May 1941. BLHA, Rep. 36A (II) no. 24496, fol. 13
Transcript of the Union auction record, 6 May 1941. BLHA, Rep. 36A (II) no. 24496, fol. 14
Transcript of the Union auction record, 6 May 1941. BLHA, Rep. 36A (II) no. 24496, fol. 15

Maschinengeschriebenes Dokument, Liste, mit Stempel und handschriftlichen Ergänzungen

First page of the Union auction record, Leo Spik, 6 May 1941. BLHA, Rep. 36A (II) no. 24496, fol. 13

In total, the auction realised proceeds of 9,124 reichsmarks. After deducting the 10‑per-cent fee for the auctioneer, Leo Spik, 7,940 reichsmarks were paid into the Reich Finance Treasury. Notably, the individual named as “Ohloff” acquired by far the largest number of artworks, amounting to a total of 735 reichsmarks.

The once carefully assembled collection of furniture, artworks, and household items belonging to the Lomnitz family was dispersed within a matter of hours and sold off to various private individuals.

Whether the search for the paintings was ultimately successful is revealed in the chapter Responsibility.