Berlin – 28.05.2026 : During a solemn ceremony at the French Embassy in Berlin, Germany returned seven books to the family of historian and resistance fighter Marc Bloch. These books had been stolen in 1942 from Bloch’s private library by the Nazis. The restitution was carried out by the municipal libraries of Berlin, Frankfurt, and Greiz, marking an important step in historical reparation and cultural exchange between Germany and France.
Marc Bloch, born in 1886 in Lyon, was one of the most recognized medievalists of his time as well as co-founder of the famous Annales School, which profoundly influenced the historical discipline. During World War II, Bloch was actively involved in the French resistance. In 1944, he was arrested by the Gestapo and executed shortly thereafter. His wife, Simonne Vidal, passed away soon after. These books were part of his vast collection including French and German works.
The restitution of the books comes a few weeks before Marc Bloch’s planned induction into the Pantheon in Paris on June 23, 2026. This tribute will highlight his life and his contribution to French history and culture. The returned books will now be preserved at the Halphen Library of the University Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne, an institute specializing in medieval studies.
The German Minister of Culture, Wolfram Weimer, described this restitution as an “important recognition of a historical injustice.” The French ambassador to Germany, François Delattre, emphasized the symbolic significance of this gesture as a sign of the deep friendship between Germany and France.
This restitution is part of a global process of returning cultural property looted during the Nazi dictatorship in Europe. Historians and librarians from both countries work closely together to identify stolen, displaced, or lost works, in order to return them to their rightful owners or their descendants. It is estimated that during the war, between five and ten million books were stolen in France alone.
Mathis Bloch, grandson of Marc Bloch, said he was deeply moved by this démarche: “The restitution preserves my grandfather’s legacy and constitutes a strong sign of reconciliation and European cooperation.” For the family, this restitution is not only the recovery of books but also a symbolic act of healing and remembrance of the sufferings endured during the war.
The reunion of these works with the Bloch family underscores the responsibility to confront the past and acknowledge historical injustices. It also illustrates the importance of education, science, and culture as bridges between nations. This handover marks a new stage in the shared preservation of European cultural heritage.
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