Berolzheimer, Dr. Michael

Straddling two centuries, two continents, and two World Wars, Michael Berolzheimer’s life was indelibly marked by irrevocable social and economic changes. Born into a wealthy Jewish family in northern Bavaria, Germany, he studied law, but later, with his wife Melitta, chose to live in rural seclusion south of Munich, where he devoted himself to his interests in history, genealogy, and collecting art.

This publication traces Michael Berolzheimer’s time in Munich as a student and attorney, his life in Untergrainau in the Bavarian mountains, and ultimately in exile in the United States. It also examines the history of his large collection of artworks, its fate, and the restitution effort which is still continuing. It is a story which is not merely of interest to his family, as it provides a uniquely personal window onto the suffering and hardships endured under Nazi rule, and the problems surrounding artworks looted during this era.

As Michael Berolzheimer’s great-nephew and namesake—the publisher and editor of this volume—wrote: “Through Michael’s story we rediscover the events of his times, leading to a different perspective of our own lives. We also discover the intellectual, studious, detailed, and romantic character of a remarkable man.”

Straddling two centuries, two continents, and two World Wars, Michael Berolzheimer’s life was indelibly marked by irrevocable social and economic changes. Born into a wealthy Jewish family in northern Bavaria, Germany, he studied law, but later, with his wife Melitta, chose to live in rural seclusion south of Munich, where he devoted himself to his interests in history, genealogy, and collecting art.

This publication traces Michael Berolzheimer’s time in Munich as a student and attorney, his life in Untergrainau in the Bavarian mountains, and ultimately in exile in the United States. It also examines the history of his large collection of artworks, its fate, and the restitution effort which is still continuing. It is a story which is not merely of interest to his family, as it provides a uniquely personal window onto the suffering and hardships endured under Nazi rule, and the problems surrounding artworks looted during this era.

As Michael Berolzheimer’s great-nephew and namesake—the publisher and editor of this volume—wrote: “Through Michael’s story we rediscover the events of his times, leading to a different perspective of our own lives. We also discover the intellectual, studious, detailed, and romantic character of a remarkable man.”

Michael Berolzheimer

1866–1942

His Life and Legacy

Edited and published by Michael G. Berolzheimer, 2014