Czech Web Site to Display Nazi Loot

P R A G U E, Czech Republic, Dec. 8 -- The Czech government plans a Web site to display artwork looted by the Nazis, aiming to return thousands of objects to their original Jewish owners or heirs.

The artwork is currently owned by Czech museums and artgalleries and includes valuable paintings by 19th- and 20th-century European artists, according to published reports.

The Web page should start this month, Pavel Jirasek of the Czech Ministry of Culture said today.

Earlier this year, the Czech parliament approved a law to allow restitution of Jewish property confiscated during the country’s Nazi occupation. Claims by original owners or their descendants can be filed until the end of 2002.

A government commission led by Vice Premier Pavel Rychetsky has found 7,000 art objects that would be affected by the new law.

Only 2,000 of them will be displayed on the Internet page in the initial stage. The most valuable ones will include pictures.

Jirasek said that under the law, those eligible for restitution should claim their property from the respective gallery or museum.

Disputed claims need to be settled in court, he said.