Berlin – 28.05.2026: In a solemn ceremony at the French embassy in Berlin, Germany has handed over seven books to the family of the historian and resistance fighter Marc Bloch. The works were taken in 1942 by the Nazis from Bloch’s private library. The return was made by the municipal libraries of Berlin, Frankfurt, and Greiz, marking an important step in historical restitution and cultural exchange between Germany and France.
Marc Bloch, born in 1886 in Lyon, was one of the most renowned medievalists of his time and co-founder of the influential Annales school, which left a profound mark on historiography. During the Second World War, Bloch actively participated in the French resistance. In 1944 he was arrested by the Gestapo and executed shortly thereafter. His wife, Simonne Vidal, died shortly after. The books were part of his extensive collection, which included both French and German works.
The return of the books takes place a few weeks before the planned induction of Marc Bloch to the Pantheon in Paris on June 23, 2026. There his work and his contribution to French history and culture will be honored. The books handed over will be kept in the Halphen library of the Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne University, an institution specializing in medieval studies.
The German Minister of Culture, Wolfram Weimer, described the return as a “significant recognition of a historical injustice.” The French ambassador to Germany, François Delattre, highlighted the symbolic meaning of the return as a sign of the close Franco-German friendship.
This return is part of a broad process of restitution of cultural goods stolen in Europe during the Nazi dictatorship. Historians and librarians from both countries work intensively to identify stolen, displaced, or lost works and return them to their rightful owners or descendants. It is estimated that in France, between five and ten million books were taken during the war alone.
Mathis Bloch, grandson of Marc Bloch, was deeply moved by this gesture: “The return preserves my grandfather’s legacy and is a strong sign of reconciliation and European cooperation.” For the family, the return not only represents the recovery of the books but also a symbolic act of healing and remembrance of the suffering experienced during the war.
The reunification of these works with the Bloch family underscores the responsibility to confront the past and acknowledge historical injustices. At the same time, it highlights the importance of education, science, and culture as bridges between nations. The handover marks another milestone on the path toward the joint preservation and protection of European cultural heritage.
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