May 2000 - Nr. 5
Culture Minister Departs for Russia with Amber Chamber Treasures in Tow
TWIG - State Minister for Cultural and Media Affairs Michael Naumann left for Moscow to return two works of art taken from Russia by German soldiers during World War II. Naumann will be presenting President Vladimir Putin with a commode and a marble mosaic, both of which once graced the "Amber Chamber" of the Zarskoje Selo, a palace outside St. Petersburg. In a reciprocal gesture, Russia plans to hand over a set of 101 prints and drawings stolen from an art museum in Bremen by a Soviet officer during the war. Mayor Henning Scherf will be accompanying Naumann.
Both leaders expressed hope that the meeting with Putin would bring the two countries closer to a more general agreement on the return of artworks seized as war booty half a century ago. The point, said Scherf on Thursday, is to restore each country’s cultural properties and make clear "that we don’t have to be afraid of one another and can develop as good neighbours." Naumann added, "I am confident that these meetings will bring a new impetus to our negotiations concerning so-called booty art."
