Germany, Third Reich. A Mixed Lot of Documents Concerning Property Seizure from an Aristocratic Czech Family

(Arisierung Papiere). A fascinating and extensive lot of 12 letters and documents concerning the seizure of property from a Czech aristocratic family, all dated for the year 1941, primarily addressed to Baronin (Baroness) Franziska Pražák (the eponymous family occupying a lower tier of Bohemian nobility with a history of public service to the Austro-Hungarian and Austrian Empires stretching back several generations), commencing with notices that authorities have identified Pražák and relatives as being of Jewish descent and consequently subject to forfeiture of property which includes a large house in Brünn (now Brno, Czech Republic), followed by a lengthy typewritten appeal from the Baroness stating that her family are practicing Catholics of Aryan descent with no Jewish forebears, further claiming that claims of Jewish heritage are the result of rumours spread by individuals in town who hold grudges against her family, notably answered by a typewritten letter compiled in both German and Czech by a regional official who investigated the matter, and who concluded that, while claims of Jewish ancestors in the lineage of the Pražák family are inconclusive, that the Baroness is known to employ Jewish staff and has extensive business dealings with Jewish individuals, and that she further conducts her life in a morally questionable way, thus justifying the seizure of the family’s property as part of the Aryanization campaign (he further implores Catholic clergy to avoid associating with her), with all documents remaining fully intact and legible, demonstrating only minor age-related signs of discolouration, an interesting and fully-researchable compilation in overall extremely fine condition.