The Collection of Josef Pollák
The Collection of Josef Pollák
The Collection of Josef Pollák
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The Collection of Josef Pollák
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The Collection of Josef Pollák
about About the project
Entitled The Josef Pollák Collection, this virtual exhibition presents the results of many years of research by the Center for Documentation of Property Transfers of Cultural Assets of Victims of World War II. The exhibition is dedicated to an extensive deposit that Josef Pollák placed in the Museum of Decorative Arts in Prague in 1939, in an effort to protect his family's art collection from the Nazis. The deposit survived the war intact, and in accordance with Pollák's will, some of the items became the property of the museum after 1945. However, most of it was returned to the family in 1948.
The exhibition is divided into two sections. The first section traces the fates of Antonín Pollák — a wealthy Jewish textile wholesaler and founder of the family collection — his wife Kamila, and their descendants (including Josef), who were persecuted by the Nazis after the establishment of the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia. Almost none of them returned from the concentration camps.
The second section of the exhibition is devoted to the Documentation Centre's own research, based on a comparison of preserved written sources and museum records with markings on the backs of collection items. Although time-consuming, this research reliably identified art objects from the original deposit. impressumImpressum
The Documentation Centre for Property Transfers of the Cultural Assets of WWII Victims, p.b.o.
Čs. armády 34/828, 160 00
Prague 6, Czech Republic
www.lootedart.cz/en
info@lootedart.cz
Reproduced archival materials:
National Archives (hereinafter referred to as NA), Prague II Police Headquarters – General Registry (hereinafter referred to as PŘ II), 1931–1940, ref. no. P 2566/3, file no. 9753.
NA, PŘ II, 1941–1950, ref. no. P 2795/4, file 8897.
NA, PŘ II, 1941–1950, ref. no. P 2735/2, file 8882.
Museum of Decorative Arts in Prague, Center of Evidence of Collections, Deposit 1164, J. Pollak, Prague X, Kollárova 13. Sammlung des Juden Josef Pollak, Prag; List of art objects selected on 9 January 1948 for the Museum of Decorative Arts in Prague from the estate of Josef Pollak.
The used audio sources:
Miloslav Kabeláč: Mystery of Time, Supraphon 1960
Theresienstadt. Ein Dokumentarfilm aus dem jüdischen Siedlungsgebiet (1944)
https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Victor_Herbert_Orchestra/
https://archive.org/details/austrian-march-compilation
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AHMDV5HRzz0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h1Pw7xekOcE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P9V6d2Y1WjE
https://pixabay.com/service/license-summary/
acknowledgementAcknowledgement
This research would not have been possible without the cooperation and assistance of experts from the Museum of Decorative Arts in Prague.
Our gratitude goes out to the descendants of Aloisie Hudcová, whose photographs and invaluable insights into the fate of the Pollák family members were instrumental in the creation of this exhibition.
This project was created with financial support from the Ministry of Culture of the Czech Republic.
Entitled The Josef Pollák Collection, this virtual exhibition presents the results of many years of research by the Center for Documentation of Property Transfers of Cultural Assets of Victims of World War II. The exhibition is dedicated to an extensive deposit that Josef Pollák placed in the Museum of Decorative Arts in Prague in 1939, in an effort to protect his family's art collection from the Nazis. The deposit survived the war intact, and in accordance with Pollák's will, some of the items became the property of the museum after 1945. However, most of it was returned to the family in 1948.
The exhibition is divided into two sections. The first section traces the fates of Antonín Pollák — a wealthy Jewish textile wholesaler and founder of the family collection — his wife Kamila, and their descendants (including Josef), who were persecuted by the Nazis after the establishment of the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia. Almost none of them returned from the concentration camps.
The second section of the exhibition is devoted to the Documentation Centre's own research, based on a comparison of preserved written sources and museum records with markings on the backs of collection items. Although time-consuming, this research reliably identified art objects from the original deposit. impressumImpressum
The Documentation Centre for Property Transfers of the Cultural Assets of WWII Victims, p.b.o.
Čs. armády 34/828, 160 00
Prague 6, Czech Republic
www.lootedart.cz/en
info@lootedart.cz
Reproduced archival materials:
National Archives (hereinafter referred to as NA), Prague II Police Headquarters – General Registry (hereinafter referred to as PŘ II), 1931–1940, ref. no. P 2566/3, file no. 9753.
NA, PŘ II, 1941–1950, ref. no. P 2795/4, file 8897.
NA, PŘ II, 1941–1950, ref. no. P 2735/2, file 8882.
Museum of Decorative Arts in Prague, Center of Evidence of Collections, Deposit 1164, J. Pollak, Prague X, Kollárova 13. Sammlung des Juden Josef Pollak, Prag; List of art objects selected on 9 January 1948 for the Museum of Decorative Arts in Prague from the estate of Josef Pollak.
The used audio sources:
Miloslav Kabeláč: Mystery of Time, Supraphon 1960
Theresienstadt. Ein Dokumentarfilm aus dem jüdischen Siedlungsgebiet (1944)
https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Victor_Herbert_Orchestra/
https://archive.org/details/austrian-march-compilation
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AHMDV5HRzz0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h1Pw7xekOcE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P9V6d2Y1WjE
https://pixabay.com/service/license-summary/
acknowledgementAcknowledgement
This research would not have been possible without the cooperation and assistance of experts from the Museum of Decorative Arts in Prague.
Our gratitude goes out to the descendants of Aloisie Hudcová, whose photographs and invaluable insights into the fate of the Pollák family members were instrumental in the creation of this exhibition.
This project was created with financial support from the Ministry of Culture of the Czech Republic.
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History of the Pollák family
Karlín SynagogueThe Karlín Synagogue, located at 243/13 Vítkova Street, was constructed between 1857 and 1861 in the Neo-Romanesque style with Moorish influences. It served the prominent and wealthy Jewish community, which comprised a significant portion of Karlín's population at the time. In 1890, over 1,200 Jews lived in Karlín, representing 14% of the population. By 1921, this number had doubled.
The building faced east onto the street, where a blind portal with pilasters and round windows was located. The Ten Commandments were placed on the front gable, and on either side were gates leading to the courtyard, which provided access to the vestibule and the staircase to the women's gallery.
In 1898, a two-story house was built at the back of the synagogue to serve as an office and the residence of the regional rabbi. At the beginning of the 20th century, it was extended with a ground-floor winter prayer hall.
An important personality was Rabbi Dr. Isidor Hirsch, who worked in Karlín until 1939. He is the author of the Czech translation of Hebrew prayers and co-translator of the first rabbinical translation of the Five Books of Moses into Czech.
However, after World War II, the Jewish community was not restored – most of its members perished during the Holocaust. In 1950, the synagogue was sold to the Czechoslovak Hussite Church, which converted the building for its own needs. Extensive construction work was carried out: a new entrance from the street was created, the women's gallery was removed, and a choir loft with an organ was installed on the east side of the hall. A significant interior decoration is the mural by the academic painter Cyril Chramosta, Jan Žižka and Jan Rokycana Negotiating Peace at the Field of the Hospital.
The synagogue still serves the Czechoslovak Hussite Church, and the Korean Church in Prague also operates here. The former rabbinate building houses the parish office of the Karlín Hussite congregation.
Two memorial plaques on the facade of the synagogue commemorate the victims of the Karlín Jewish community and the memory of Rabbi Isidor Hirsch.
Kamila Polláková While Antonín Pollák was the son of a butcher from Hloubětín, his wife Kamila, née Wagnerová, came from a family of merchants from Hořepník near Pelhřimov. The family had moved to the Old Town in Prague before she was born. After her marriage to Antonín Pollák, Kamila Polláková became co-owner of apartment buildings on Kollárova and Týnská streets, as well as a villa in Roztoky near Prague.
Imperial and royal commercial counselor (German: k. u. k. Kommerzialrat) was an honorary title awarded by the emperor and king to prominent entrepreneurs and merchants during the Austro-Hungarian Empire (1867–1918).The title represented social recognition and appreciation of the merits of individuals who had made a significant contribution to the development of trade, industry, or the economy of the monarchy. Holders of this title had no political powers or official functions. It was merely a prestigious designation that underscored the social significance, business achievements, and moral integrity of the individual. Today, this title is only used in historical texts or to refer to personalities of that time.
Censor of the Bank Office of the Ministry of Finance and the Czechoslovak National Bank was a position held during the First Czechoslovak Republic (1918–1939). Censors acted as a control and supervisory body tasked with overseeing the bank's activities, checking its financial management and accounting, and, above all, ensuring that the bank acted by the law and regulations.
Censors were appointed by the government or the relevant ministry, and their role corresponded to that of today's supervisory board members or auditors. Although they had no direct executive power, their reports and recommendations had a significant influence on the decisions of banking and financial institutions, including the Czechoslovak National Bank, the country's central bank.
An arbitrator at the Prague Stock Exchange was an expert appointed to resolve disputes between participants in stock exchange trading, particularly in the area of securities, commodities, and financial contracts. Their task was to independently, impartially, and professionally resolve disputes arising from business relationships concluded on the stock exchange without the need to resort to ordinary courts.
This function was part of the activities of the Arbitration Court at the Prague Stock Exchange, which provided fast and specialized resolution of commercial disputes. The arbitrator was usually a professionally qualified lawyer or economist with in-depth knowledge of stock exchange law and practice. His decision had legal force and was binding on both parties to the dispute.
Member of the Board of Directors of the First Czech Insurance Bank was a position representing a member of the statutory body of this important financial institution. The bank's board of directors was responsible for strategic management, making key decisions, asset management, supervising financial operations, and ensuring the bank's proper functioning. The position of member of the board of directors was prestigious and usually held by experienced professionals in the field of finance and banking who enjoyed the trust of the bank's shareholders. Members of the board of directors also participated in formulating business policy and representing the bank in dealings with partners, authorities, and the public. Today, this function corresponds to members of the board of directors or the administrative board in modern financial institutions.
Honorary Chairman of the Textile Wholesalers Association is a title or position awarded to prominent figures who have made a long-term contribution to the development of the textile trade, usually after the end of their active career. This position is unpaid, representative, and symbolic. The holder of this title does not usually have any executive duties, but holds an honorary position that expresses recognition and respect for their work and achievements to date.
The title of honorary chairman is typically awarded by a relevant professional or trade organization, in this case, the Association of Textile Wholesalers, as a gesture of gratitude for an exceptional contribution to the industry and personal commitment to its development, or for representing the industry to the public or state institutions.
Týnská č. p. 632 The originally Gothic house "U tří ořechů" (At the Three Walnuts) or "U tří ořešáků" (At the Three Walnut Trees) is located in the eastern part of Týnská Street. It has been mentioned since 1402. In 1940, half of the ownership rights were transferred to Kamila Polláková and the other half to her son Josef.
The house was transferred to the Emigration Fund for Bohemia and Moravia pursuant to a purchase agreement dated February 24, 1941. Kamila Polláková restituted the house on January 25, 1946. The house is owned by the descendants of Aloisie Hudcová. The family had a Stolperstein placed in front of the house in memory of Josef Pollák.
Kollárova č. p. 276 The house on Kollárova Street belonged to the Pollák family from 1910 until March 8, 1941, when Kamila and Josef Pollák were forced to transfer it to the Emigration Fund for Bohemia and Moravia. After liberation, Kamila Polláková regained the house on December 13, 1945. In the 1950s, the house was nationalized.
Villa No. 16 in Tiché údolí (Roztoky u Prahy)The villa with the adjacent houses No. 16 and 93 is located in Tiché údolí in Roztoky u Prahy, a popular resort for Prague's upper-middle class at that time. In 1941, the villa was still owned in equal shares by Kamila Polláková, her son Josef, and two granddaughters. On July 13, 1942, it was transferred to the Resettlement Fund for Bohemia and Moravia. This date also marks the day Kamila Polláková was transported to Terezín, where the other owners of the villa had already been deported before her.
Society of Patriotic Friends of Art in Bohemia and the Fine Arts Association for Bohemia The Society of Patriotic Friends of the Arts in Bohemia and the Bohemian Artistic Society had a significant influence on the development of Czech visual culture in the 19th century. Both played a role in shaping the artistic infrastructure, supporting Czech artists, and forming the cultural identity of the nation.
The Society of Patriotic Friends of the Arts in Bohemia was founded in Prague in 1796 by enlightened aristocrats (such as Count František Antonín Špork) and bourgeois citizens who aimed to develop the visual arts in the Czech lands. The Society's main achievement was the founding of the Academy of Fine Arts in Prague in 1799, which was the first institution of its kind in the Habsburg Monarchy. In addition to educating artists, the Society collected works of art. It made them available to the public, thus laying the foundation for the future collections of the National Gallery in Prague.
In 1835, the Fine Arts Association for Bohemia was founded in Prague, continuing the traditions of the Society while responding to new social needs. While the Society was more focused on institutional and educational activities, the Krasoumná jednota was a civic association that emphasized support for contemporary visual arts and direct assistance to living Czech artists. It held regular exhibitions, often combined with sales of the exhibited works, organized collections, and provided scholarships. Its aim was not only to promote the visual arts, but also to develop the public's taste and strengthen national consciousness through artistic creation. Many important Czech artists of the 19th century, such as Josef Mánes, Mikoláš Aleš, and Václav Brožík, owed their careers to the support of the Krasoumná jednota.
The collections amassed by these institutions formed the foundation of the National Gallery in Prague, and the Academy of Fine Arts continues to function as a prestigious art school.
Kamila Polláková While Antonín Pollák was the son of a butcher from Hloubětín, his wife Kamila, née Wagnerová, came from a family of merchants from Hořepník near Pelhřimov. The family had moved to the Old Town in Prague before she was born. After her marriage to Antonín Pollák, Kamila Polláková became co-owner of apartment buildings on Kollárova and Týnská streets, as well as a villa in Roztoky near Prague.
Zdenka PollákováZdenka Polláková's husband, Alfred Gintz, came from Bělá pod Bezdězem. After their wedding in 1921, the couple moved to Malá Strana. Their older daughter Věra (1922–1943) and younger daughter Jana (1927–1943) were unable to complete their education after the Nazi regime came to power. Alfred Gintz had himself and his daughters baptized in 1939, but they were not spared from registration as Jews. In June 1942, they were all deported to Terezín, where Jana died of typhoid fever in February 1943. Věra was deported on 6 September, 1943, to the "family" camp in Auschwitz, and her father followed her on 18 December. Then their trace disappears. They were likely murdered in the gas chambers, Věra on 8 March and Alfred during the liquidation of the "family" camp on June 10–12, 1944.
Karel HerainKarel Vladimír Herain (1890–1953) was an art historian and art critic, director of the Museum of Decorative Arts in Prague from 1934 to March 1948, where he had worked as an assistant and specialist since 1919. At the same time, after 1920, he was a member and vice-chairman of the Union of Czechoslovak Works and served as secretary of the Club for Old Prague (1916–1926) and was also a member of the editorial board of the magazines Tvar and Věci a lidé.
Treuhandstelle
The Treuhandstelle was a department established within the Jewish community by order of the Central Office for Jewish Emigration at the same time as the deportations began on October 13, 1941. It administered all the property of the deportees, from everyday items to art collections. It had warehouses set up in former synagogues and other buildings that had belonged to Jews. It was strictly controlled by employees of the Central Office, as the property of the deportees became the property of the Reich. Many items were subsequently sold, and some pieces of museum value were handed over as deposits to the Protectorate collection institutions.
The Treuhandstelle was a department established within the Jewish community by order of the Central Office for Jewish Emigration at the same time as the deportations began on October 13, 1941. It administered all the property of the deportees, from everyday items to art collections. It had warehouses set up in former synagogues and other buildings that had belonged to Jews. It was strictly controlled by employees of the Central Office, as the property of the deportees became the property of the Reich. Many items were subsequently sold, and some pieces of museum value were handed over as deposits to the Protectorate collection institutions.
Deposit at the National Gallery
Pollák's deposit at the National Gallery consisted of 37 works of art, primarily oil paintings and drawings by Czech and foreign masters, as well as two sculptures. In June 1942, however, 20 items from the deposit were sold by the Nazis and taken to an unknown location.
Pollák's deposit at the National Gallery consisted of 37 works of art, primarily oil paintings and drawings by Czech and foreign masters, as well as two sculptures. In June 1942, however, 20 items from the deposit were sold by the Nazis and taken to an unknown location.
The marriages of Josef Pollák
Josef Pollák was married three times, though none of the marriages lasted long. Unlike his parents, who married at the synagogue in Karlín, all three of Josef's weddings were held at the municipal authority offices, and none of his wives were Jewish. This fact corresponded to the assimilation of the Jewish population and the increase in interfaith marriages during the First Republic, especially in the west of the country and in large cities.
Josef Pollák's third wife was Veronika née Michálková from Plzeň, born in 1916. The couple married in November 1939. Their daughter Zdenka was born in 1940. In September 1940, Josef and Veronika divorced, evidently to protect their daughter from Nazi persecution, but the child died the following year.
An order issued by the Police Directorate on 23 January 1941 forced Jews (including Josef Pollák) to surrender their driving licences. In April 1941 Pollák had to pay a fine of 3000 crowns because he had not collected his new identity papers (marked with the letter J, denoting a Jew) within the stipulated period. The police report stated that he was "separated, with a year-old daughter, wealthy (around 300 000 crowns), currently without earnings and living off capital".
Josef and Veronika's daughter Zdenka Polláková died in December 1941 at the age of just one year.
Josef Pollák was married three times, though none of the marriages lasted long. Unlike his parents, who married at the synagogue in Karlín, all three of Josef's weddings were held at the municipal authority offices, and none of his wives were Jewish. This fact corresponded to the assimilation of the Jewish population and the increase in interfaith marriages during the First Republic, especially in the west of the country and in large cities.
Josef Pollák's third wife was Veronika née Michálková from Plzeň, born in 1916. The couple married in November 1939. Their daughter Zdenka was born in 1940. In September 1940, Josef and Veronika divorced, evidently to protect their daughter from Nazi persecution, but the child died the following year.
An order issued by the Police Directorate on 23 January 1941 forced Jews (including Josef Pollák) to surrender their driving licences. In April 1941 Pollák had to pay a fine of 3000 crowns because he had not collected his new identity papers (marked with the letter J, denoting a Jew) within the stipulated period. The police report stated that he was "separated, with a year-old daughter, wealthy (around 300 000 crowns), currently without earnings and living off capital".
Josef and Veronika's daughter Zdenka Polláková died in December 1941 at the age of just one year.
The Emigration Fund, which administered the property of the Central Office for Jewish EmigrationAuswanderungsfond für Böhmen und Mähren was a public legal fund and the holder of the assets of the Central Office for Jewish Emigration (Zentralstelle für jüdische Auswanderung, see below), initially established for the transfer of property of abolished Jewish religious communities and other Jewish associations and organizations by the decree of the Reich Protector, which came into force on March 10, 1940. Later, the property of deportees was also transferred to it.
Transport V
Transport V from Prague to Terezín was the fourteenth transport of Jews from the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia to the Terezín ghetto during World War II. Transport V departed from Prague's Bubny station on January 30, 1942, carrying 1,002 Jewish prisoners. Only 93 of those deported survived the war.
Autumn transportsThe autumn transports of 1944 represented the last wave of mass deportations from Terezín to Auschwitz. The purpose of these transports was to eliminate the risk of an uprising by the ghetto prisoners and at the same time to kill all potential witnesses to Nazi crimes. Almost all former members of the Council of Elders, prisoners in high positions in the ghetto administration, former functionaries of Czech, German, and Austrian Jewish organizations, representatives of artistic life, and other inconvenient prominent figures were included in the autumn transports. Between 28 September and 28 October, 1944, 18,402 prisoners left the Terezín ghetto in 11 transports. Of these, only 1,570 prisoners survived.
Post-war restitution According to Pollák's last will, the National Gallery, the Museum of Decorative Arts in Prague, and the Museum of the Capital City of Prague were to receive from his collection the items they chose for permanent exhibition. However, Kamila Polláková claimed a significant part of both deposits as her property and, after relatively complex negotiations during 1948, she and Aloisie Hudcová restituted most of the collection.
The gallery acquired nine paintings and a collection of drawings and prints from the Museum of Decorative Arts' deposit, as well as seven art objects from the gallery's own deposit.
The Museum of Decorative Arts acquired 112 items from the deposit it administered, and 12 art objects were transferred from this deposit to the Museum of the Capital City of Prague.
All items displayed are administered by the Museum of Decorative Arts in Prague.
Sammlung 288
1164/288 – deposit number
32844 – museum inventory number
Baby Jesus with gifts
porcelain
impressed mark: TK, 856, 70
Klášterec, 1856
Sammlung 211
32849 – museum inventory number
Star of David stamp – mark of Antonín Pollák
Girl standing wearing a hat, her chin resting on her finger
porcelain
impressed mark: PRAG
Prague, around 1850
Sammlung 237
1164/237 – deposit number
220 – older deposit numbering
32851 – museum inventory number
Star of David stamp – mark of Antonín Pollák
Lady with two faces – "Youth and old age"
porcelain
impressed mark: AICH 20
Dubí, around 1850
Sammlung 257
1164/257 – deposit number
32855 – museum inventory number
Star of David stamp – mark of Antonín Pollák
Cuirassier from the Thirty Years' War
gold inscription on the front of the base inside an oval plate: Kürassier Off. 1620–1650
biscuit
impressed mark: beehive, 859, 33
Vienna, 1859
Sammlung 63
1164/63 – deposit number
Pipe head with the bust of a lady wearing a yellow dress and a fur
porcelain
unmarked
Bohemia, end of the 19th century
Sammlung 697
1164/697 – deposit number
33411 – museum inventory number
Bust of Radetzky
inscription impressed on the front of the bevelled bust: RADETZKY
biscuit
impressed mark: K&C PRAG
Prague, around 1850
Sammlung 746
1164/746 – deposit number
Baroque cabinet clock
brown stained polished wood, wooden, brass and gilded detail
clockmaker Johan Michael Putz
Bohemia, last quarter of the 18th century
Sammlung 67
1164/67 – deposit number
32907 – museum inventory number
Portrait of a lady in a black dress sitting at a table
miniature on porcelain
unsigned, impressed: eagle, S, 4
Berlin, around 1830–1840
Sammlung 140
1164/140 – deposit number
32908 – museum inventory number
Johann Zachariáš Quast
Portrait of a seated boy with a gun
miniature on porcelain
in a leather case with an ornamental band and flaps
signed at the bottom right: I. Quast 1851
Bohemia, 1851
Sammlung 3
1164/3 – deposit number
32913 – museum inventory number
Patricius Kittner
Portrait of a young man wearing a tailcoat
miniature on ivory
in a rectangular brass frame with ornamental relief
signed at the bottom right: Pt. Kittner 1841
Brno, 1841
Sammlung 129
1164/129 – deposit number
32914 – museum inventory number
Robert Theer
Portrait of a young lady in a chequered dress
miniature on ivory
oval miniature with a slim brass rim, set into a rectangular blue velvet frame
signed: Robert Theer, Wien 1859
Vienna, 1859
Sammlung 17
61435 – museum inventory number
Star of David stamp – mark of Antonín Pollák
Jan Zachariáš Quast
Bust of an elderly woman wearing a lace cap
miniature on porcelain
oval miniature framed by a strip of yellow metal, dark red velvet border, dark red cardboard frame with gilded impressed ornamentation below the miniature a metal plate with the inscription: J. Z. Quast
unsigned
Bohemia, around 1850
© 2025 The Collection of Josef Pollák