The Works of Beethoven

1939/40, one year after Mr. Fernand-Raoul Jellinek-Mercedes from Vienna had committed suicide due to Nazi-persecution, the volumes which had been confiscated by the Nazis were bought by the librian from Essen, Dr. Ernst Reichert. The purpose was to integrate them as "Collection Jellinek-Mercedes" into the Stadtbibliothek Essen. Unfortunately, the recontruction of the details of the acquisition is not possible. But in 2004, on initiative of the Stadtbibliothek Essen the heirs of Fernand Raoul Jellinek-Mercedes could be found and an agreement was settled according to which the collection could remain once and for all in Essen.