September 1st is a fateful date for Poles. On that day in 1939, German troops invaded Poland: World War II began, alongside an occupation of the country that lasted five terrible years. As a consequence of the German occupation, Poland lost nearly 6 million citizens, more than half of whom were Polish Jews. The Germans devastated Poland economically, destroyed industrial, energy, transport, and service infrastructure, looted factory and workshop equipment, confiscated agricultural products and livestock, and stole bank deposits and the savings of millions of people. However, the loss of cultural assets must not be forgotten: the Germans took over half a million works of art stolen from museums, churches, and private homes to Germany. Germany has never paid war reparations or compensation, nor has it returned the assets, bank deposits, and all the stolen works of art. Furthermore, German statutes of limitation prevent the judicial recovery of works of art looted during the war, allowing them to remain in the possession of German individuals and continue to be traded or generate profits through their exhibition and enjoyment. And precisely to remember this gigantic theft of artistic and cultural assets perpetrated by the Germans during the years of World War II, an exhibition with a significant title was inaugurated on September 1st at the European Parliament in Brussels: “Looted by the Germans. Never Returned.”

​Obviously, the date is not accidental: it marks the 87th anniversary of the German aggression against Poland.

​The exhibition featured photographs of paintings, sculptures, manuscripts, books, and plundered memorabilia. These are examples of the 517,000 works of art and other objects taken away from Poland. Eighty-seven years have passed since the beginning of this great theft, but the stolen goods have not been returned.

​As MEP Arkadiusz Mularczyk, the creator and organizer of the exhibition, explained, in the heart of the European Parliament, the intention was to recall the truth about the German occupation of Poland and the plundering of Polish heritage by Germany. “We remember. We call things by their name. We demand the return of stolen property and justice,” Mularczyk said.

​This exhibition reminded European politicians and public opinion that the issue of returning works of art stolen in Poland remains unresolved and that the fight for historical justice must continue.