Curt, Erich, Felix and Ludwig Schwenk

Since 2016 ten books from the libraries Schwenk family could be returned.

Dr. med. Curt Schwenk was born on 4 May 1881 in Grottkau. He was a surgeon and gynecologist in Berlin, and married to Bertha Schwenk née Levy. Bertha and Curt had two children, Helmut and Walter. Both were able to escape from Germany in time, Helmut to South Africa, Walter to the United States. Bertha Schwenk was also able to emigrate to the United States via the Netherlands in 1938. Curt Schwenk escaped to Prague in about 1939. He was deported to Theresienstadt on 30 July 1942, from there to Auschwitz on 15 December 1943 where he was murdered.

Dr. jur. Erich Schwenk was born in Grottkau on 31 May 1884. He was director of the district court in Görlitz. Discharged on racist grounds in 1933, he lived in Berlin from that year on. Erich was married to Erna Schwenk née Sachs. Erna and Erich had no children. Both were deported from Berlin to Łódź in October 1941. In May 1942 they were taken to the extermination camp Chełmno and murdered there.

Dr. jur. Felix Schwenk was born in Grottkau on 27 October 1879. He was a lawyer in Berlin, and married to Emma Schwenk née Neumann. Emma and Felix had two children, Alfons and Friedhelm Helmward. Alfons was able to emigrate to Brazil in time, Friedhelm was murdered in Auschwitz in 1944. Felix and Emma Schwenk were also not able to escape, both were deported from Berlin to Riga on 25 January 1942 and murdered there.

Dr. jur. Ludwig Schwenk was born in Grottkau on 21 December 1876. He was a lawyer and notary in Wroclaw and married to Flora Schwenk née Schrubski. Flora and Ludwig had two children, Gerda and Asta. Gerda escaped to Australia in 1938, her sister Asta to Argentina in 1939. Ludwig and Flora Schwenk could not escape and were murdered. Details of their deportation, the date and place of their deaths are unknown.

At least one of Curt Schwenk's books was acquired by the Berlin City Library (Berliner Stadtbibliothek, BStB) in 1943 as part of a purchase of ~40,000 books that had been looted from the Jews of Berlin. The same path of access can be assumed for the other books of Curt Schwenk. How and when the books of Erich, Felix and Ludwig Schwenk entered the stock of the library is not clear. These books were either never processed, or they were only kept in the BStB's book storage.