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90 °F Forecast | Road Cams Wednesday, May 25, 2005 Today's News | Shop Our Valley | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery | Contact Us SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion Tempo AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map SPECIAL SECTIONS Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Menu Guide How To Guide Health Biz Connection Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Real Estate Guide Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Wedding Guide Passport to the Rogue Valley SHOP OUR VALLEY AutoFinder HomeFinder JobFinder Classified Place an ad TOP JOBS EXTRA Ashland News NIE Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People Volunteer Moving here? eSouthernOregon CUSTOMER SERVICE FAQ's Advertise with us Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend May 21, 2005 History sleuth stays on the trail of lost art, cultural artifacts By PAUL FATTIG Mail Tribune When a rare 16th century German book popped up at the nation’s premier auction house in New York, it caught Wilhelm Korte’s attention. "If the Augsburg book hadn’t ended up at Sotheby’s, this would have stayed under the radar," observed the attorney whose Washington, D.C.-based firm represents the German state of Baden-Wurttemberg and the Staatsgalarie museum in Stuttgart. "As long as it stays within the circles of local, regional dealers and collectors, it is highly unlikely the rest of the world would have noticed it," he added. For nearly 20 years, Korte, a native of Germany, has been searching for art and cultural property illegally taken from Germany during World War II. He has found items worth as little as a few hundred dollars to others valued in the millions. Advertisement "The German government in general pursues a policy of recovering property losses," he said. "Like the books that Mr. (John) Doty brought home, they have a place in a museum’s collection. The idea is to recover items large and small." Korte has spent months poring over national archives in Washington, D.C., familiarizing himself with the history of various U.S. units during the war. He also talks to WWII veterans. Some items that may not have great monetary value could have immense cultural and historical value to a museum or library, he said. A few years ago he was able to return medieval manuscripts from a church archive that represented the church’s sole historical record for that period, he said. The historical value was immeasurable while the monetary value was insignificant, he said. "We’re not going around collecting things randomly," he stressed. "We are trying to return things we have been able to identify to their appropriate owner. "It’s not that veterans have to fear we are coming to clean out their closets," he added. "We would appreciate any cooperation we can get to return these items." He suggests anyone with items taken illegally from Germany during WWII contact the nearest German consulate. "We will make our best effort to identify the object," he said. While private individuals may enjoy the items, rare books and other cultural relics must be in "their right context to make sense" for scholars and historians, he said of a library or museum collection. "Unfortunately, I’ve had too many cases where the family, once they realize they have totally misjudged the value of these items, make an attempt to cash in on it," he said. "Then it gets pretty nasty." However, next week, a book — not the Augsburg book — that John Doty took from the German museum will be handed over by the Browns to the German embassy in Washington, D.C. "Everybody will express their great appreciation for the cooperation and generosity of the Brown family," Korte said. "Here you have people who want to do the right thing." Reach reporter Paul Fattig at 776-4496 or e-mail him at [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life | Opinion AP News | Archives | Site Map | Community | Classified Copyright © 1997-2005 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Website Feedback Free Music Downloads Conference Calls - $50/Month Home Security Systems Trunks, Footlocker, Trunk, Footlockers home equity loans helzberg diamonds Distance Education Diamonds Online Poker Auto Insurance Mesothelioma Slippers Student Loans tcg student loan consolidation teleconferencing Website Design & Marketing Memory Foam Mattress w2 forms Mortgage Calculator Free Home-Loan Referrals Payday Loans Advertisement s