Sorting Out the Kaiser's Artwork: The Hohenzollern Settlement Unveiled
- *
Unraveling the Hohenzollern Agreement: Essential Facts Explained - Understanding the Hohenzollern Agreement: Key Insights Explained
After nearly a century of squabbling, the art treasures of the disgraced House of Hohenzollern have finally found a resting place. The long-awaited agreement between the German government and the Hohenzollern descendants cleared the last legal hurdle in June 2025.
Thousands of precious artworks, antiques, and other valuables worth millions of euros can now be admired by museum-goers in Berlin and Brandenburg, without the looming specter of disputed ownership. All parties involved are relieved, as the landmark deal draws a line under a century-old dispute.
Georg Friedrich Prince of Prussia, CEO of the Hohenzollern dynasty, expressed satisfaction: "We finally found a long-lasting solution through good cooperation," he told the German Press Agency. Meanwhile, German Culture Minister Wolfram Weimer declared, "After a hundred years, we've put an end to a dispute left over from the transition from monarchy to republic in the best possible way."
Although the negotiation process wasn't always smooth sailing, key questions and answers have finally emerged:
Who are the Hohenzollerns?
Once powerful and influential, the House of Hohenzollern was the ruling monarchy in Prussia from the 18th century onwards, and German emperors after the founding of the German Reich in 1871. When the republic was proclaimed in November 1918 and Germany's last Kaiser, Wilhelm II, went into exile, the family's wealth was confiscated.
A 1926 contract aimed to settle the estate issues, but many questions remained. After German reunification, the Hohenzollerns sought to reclaim property that had been seized during the Soviet occupation or in communist East Germany.
What was the dispute about?
At the heart of the disagreement were inventories from castles and manor houses. Pieces like memorabilia, furniture, textiles, and paintings, as well as library and archive collections were involved. Notable was the former collection of the Hohenzollern Museum, founded in 1877 in Monbijou Castle in today's Berlin-Mitte. The museum was damaged during World War II and demolished in 1959, following the decision of the East Berlin government.
When did the search for a solution begin?
Negotiations continued for more than a decade, with interruptions since 2014. The Hohenzollerns referred to the Compensation Performance Act, which allows the state to pay compensation for expropriations based on occupation law or authority, providing that "movable items" be returned whenever possible.
At times, the family also demanded the right to reside in Cecilienhof Castle in Potsdam. The public sector rejected these negotiations, with the State of Brandenburg refusing to provide compensation. Subsequently, compensation lawsuits were filed at the Administrative Court of Potsdam. Historians debated the role of the Hohenzollerns in the Nazi era, particularly that of Wilhelm, Crown Prince of Prussia (1882-1951). As the law stipulates, no compensation is given to those who significantly promoted the Nazi system. In 2023, the family withdrew the lawsuits. Negotiations resumed in autumn 2024.
What does the agreement look like?
In essence, the majority of the contested art treasures will remain in the museums of the Prussian Palaces and Gardens Foundation Berlin-Brandenburg (SPSG), the Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation (SPK), and the German Historical Museum (DHM).
Culture Minister Weimer highlighted the portrait of Elector Joachim I of Brandenburg by Lucas Cranach the Elder, the Baroque ivory furniture of the Great Elector from the collection of Johann Moritz of Nassau-Siegen, and the dinner service for the Breslau City Palace as particular highlights.
The agreement clarifies ownership relations. Disputed objects from the former Hohenzolleln Museum will be transferred to a non-profit "Hohenzollern Art Ownership Foundation." The Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation alone contributes 1,685 works to this new foundation.
The settlement includes the clear allocation of objects from a so-called "19-list" of outstanding artworks to the public sector. This includes the "Princess Group" by Johann Gottfried Schadow and the painting "The Dance" by Antoine Watteau.
The House of Hohenzollern partially relinquishes ownership claims, but gains other contested objects. These items are listed in the "C-list," including seven elaborate snuff boxes. Finally, two of the snuff boxes will remain on long-term loan in museums, allowing the Hohenzollerns to dispose of five pieces, whose estimated market value is around 20 million euros and could potentially rise.
The Hohenzollern family can also dispose of the objects that have been allocated to them. The Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation reports giving up 2,999 individual objects, including 2,122 collectibles such as coins, fans, boxes, porcelain, and other items. The market value of these pieces is estimated at around two million euros.
The Hohenzollern family also gains three seats on the board of trustees in the new non-profit foundation, where the public holds a two-thirds majority. The terms of the agreement and the distribution of individual objects remain largely confidential, with official statements on the value of the items lacking, and estimates ranging in the hundreds of millions.
- The long-standing dispute between the German government and the Hohenzollern descendants, centered around the art treasures of the Hohenzollern family, has been resolved, marking an end to a century-old disagreement.
- Under the terms of the agreement, the majority of the contested art treasures will remain in the museums of the Prussian Palaces and Gardens Foundation Berlin-Brandenburg, the Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation, and the German Historical Museum, while the Hohenzollern family gains ownership of some objects and partial control over a new non-profit foundation.
