Jewelry, photos, papers – the Nazis confiscated all the victims’ personal belongings on their arrest. Several thousand of these items from the concentration camps still exist today. We search for the victims’ families and return these things to them.

He didn’t want to help the Nazis.

More about Johannes

Lost youth: She was arrested at 16.

More about Helena

He fled from his past.

More about István

The Nazis didn’t know she was a Jew.

More about Claire

The Nazis deported him from Ukraine.

More about Zakhariy

Window onto history

A wallet or a watch suddenly turns up out of the blue. And sometimes a story that nobody knew anything about: What do children and grandchildren feel when they hold these memories in their hands?

Edmond Ameye

Yves Stappers' grandfather

Braulia Cánovas Mulero

Marie-Christine Jené's mother

Peter Will

Joop Will's father

Engelmar Unzeitig

Pater Hubert's fellow priest

Teodor Buttler

Teodor Buttler

Ilona Buttler's grandfather

Wieslawa Brzys

Wiesława Brzyś

Wanda Jaronszyńska's mother

Some 2500 objects are still waiting

#StolenMemory was launched in 2016. With the help of volunteers, we are trying to trace the relatives of victims of Nazi persecution. Because their personal belongings do not belong to the archive, they are just stored there.

Why “effects?“

The Nazis used the word “effects” to describe inmates’ belongings. What does it mean and why do these objects still exist?

to the history of the effects

Life as it was before imprisonment

Some 2,500 envelopes containing various objects are still waiting to be returned to the families of the victims. Here you can find photos and 3D scans of some “effects” and the names of their owners.

To find all the names and see all the objects, go to our online archive.

How you can help

We need you! In the worldwide search for the families of the victims, we depend on the help of volunteers who know the local area and can research on the spot.

Join in

Our upcoming exhibitions

Check out our traveling exhibition and dive into the stories of #StolenMemory! Maybe we will be near you soon! On the map you can find the next locations and dates of #StolenMemory in Germany, Poland and Belgium.

Click here for a searchable list of all locations in Europe!

The #StolenMemory exhibition on tour

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