Press release from the Princely House
Vaduz (ots)
On 11 September, some media cited a June 2008 letter by H.S.H. the Reigning Prince of Liechtenstein declining participation in the exhibition "Looting and Restitution" at the Jewish Museum Berlin.
With his private and personal letter to the Director of the Museum, W. Michael Blumenthal, Reigning Prince Hans-Adam II in no way intended to belittle the atrocious events of the Third Reich. Rather, the letter makes reference to the certainly difficult topic of expropriations during and after the Second World War.
It is correct that there are still open legal questions in this regard between Liechtenstein and several European countries, including Germany. In this complex context, the letter attempted to explain why the invitation was declined, and it in no way intended to belittle the crimes of the Third Reich. For some time, Liechtenstein and German diplomats have been working on feasible ways to resolve these open legal questions.
Reigning Prince Hans-Adam II's admonition that the Third Reich should never return was intended to refer to the future, not to the Germany of today.
Contact:
Sekretariat des Fürstenhauses
Tel.: +423/238'12'00