Berlin – 28.05.2026: In a solemn ceremony at the French embassy in Berlin, Germany returned seven books to the family of the historian and Resistance fighter Marc Bloch. The works had been taken in 1942 by the National Socialists from Bloch’s private library. The return was carried out by the municipal libraries of Berlin, Frankfurt, and Greiz and marks an important step in historical reparations 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 influential Annales School, which profoundly influenced historiography. During World War II, Bloch was actively involved in the French Resistance. In 1944 he was arrested by the Gestapo and shortly thereafter executed. His wife, Simonne Vidal, died shortly afterwards. 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 Marc Bloch’s planned induction into the Panthéon in Paris on June 23, 2026. There, his life’s work and contribution to French history and culture will be celebrated. The returned books will be preserved in the Halphen Library of the University Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne, an institute specialized in medieval studies.
The German Minister of Culture Wolfram Weimer called the return a “significant recognition of a historical injustice.” The French ambassador to Germany, François Delattre, emphasized the symbolic value of the return as a sign of the close Franco-German friendship.
This restitution is part of a broad process of returning cultural goods taken during the Nazi dictatorship in Europe. Historians and librarians from both countries work intensively to identify stolen, smuggled, or lost works and return them to the rightful owners or their descendants. It is estimated that between five and ten million books were taken in France alone during the war.
Mathis Bloch, grandson of Marc Bloch, said he 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 represents not only the repossession 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 underlines 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 delivery represents another milestone on the path to preserving and protecting European cultural heritage together.