Paul Saloschin

Since 2014, seven books from Paul Saloschin's library could be returned.

Paul Saloschin was born on 20 October 1874 as one of six sons of the chemist Emil Saloschin and Hedwig, née Görisch, in Droskau (Hammermühle) near Sorau.

He grew up together with his later wife Malwine Wolffenstein, the daughter of a business partner of Emil Saloschin. Paul Saloschin graduated in 1892, studied electrical engineering and applied for an engineers' position at Siemens & Schuckertwerke A.G. To do so, he and Malwine moved to Berlin. From 1911, the Saloschins lived at Elsastrasse 5 in Friedenau and from 1920 to 1933 at Lietzenseeufer 1; in 1934, they moved to Sponholzstrasse 43-44. Paul Saloschin retired in 1936 at the age of 62. Whether this was for health reasons or because of anti-Semitic persecution is not known.

In 1941, Paul and Malwine Saloschin were being taken to a collection center at Levetzowstraße 7, and from there they were deported to the Litzmannstadt Ghetto on November 1st. On 20 November 1941, only three weeks after their arrival, Paul Saloschin died. He was 67 years old. Malwine Saloschin died on 21 June 1942 at the age of 63.

Some of the returned books were verifiably acquired by the Berlin City Library in 1943 as part of its purchase of ~40,000 books looted from Jewish Berliners. The remaining volumes were either found in unprocessed storage or were incorporated into the library holdings as "gifts" after the end of the war.