New exhibition in the Hamburg city hall: Plundered even before deportation

The trains of the Deutsche Reichsbahn carrying deportees to ghettos and extermination camps were only the last stage in the Nazi regime’s systematic persecution of Jews, Sinti, and Roma. For years, regulations, ordinances, and edicts had stifled the economic livelihood of “non-Aryans”, stealing their businesses and seizing their possessions.

Hamburg’s tax and customs officials were ruthless in implementing the regime’s directives with regard to plundering and confiscation. The stolen property was then ‘monetised’ at public auctions, with the state treasury pocketing the profits. Removal companies, bailiffs, and auction houses, as well as many other businesses and private individuals, also profited from this unprecedented daylight robbery.

This touring exhibition, created by the Foundation of Hamburg Memorials and Learning Centres Commemorating the Victims of Nazi Crimes, presents the results of a two-year research project about the role of the finance administration in Hamburg during the National Socaialist era. The project was commissioned by the Hamburg Ministry of Finance.

It is being presented by the Hamburg Parliament and Hamburg Ministry of Finance to mark the Day of Remembrance of the Victims of National Socialism. It can be seen from 22 January (opening) to 20 February 2025 in the Hamburg City Hall. The exhibition will be accompanied by an extensive programme of lectures, tours, discussion events and film screenings.

Opening Hours:

Monday to Friday 7 bis 19 Uhr, Saturday 10 bis 18 Uhr, Sunday 10 bis 17 Uhr