Gregor Derntl

Gregor Derntl is an Austrian economist and historian who studied at the universities of Linz and Vienna. After working in refugee aid and development cooperation and writing a master’s thesis on the history of art restitution, he has been a freelance provenance researcher for private collections and public institutions since 2012. From 2012 to 2018, he served as a provenance researcher for the Upper Austrian State Museum in Linz (Austria) and has since been working as a provenance researcher for museums and private collectors. His work involves conducting audits of entire collections and providing advice on the practical, technical, and legal aspects of handling cultural goods lost due to Nazi persecution, including collaboration with specialized law firms when necessary.

His primary goal is to reconstruct art collections that were stolen by the Nazis in order to enable possible restitutions. Gregor brings extensive experience working with archives in Austria and Germany, particularly in Frankfurt, Wiesbaden, Cologne, Munich, Berlin and Vienna. In his work as a provenance and heir researcher, Gregor is regularly in contact with descendants of displaced Germans and Austrians. He has often encountered individuals who were unaware of their eligibility to obtain Austrian citizenship or an Austrian passport. While thousands of descendants from around the world have obtained Austrian citizenship since 2020, a significantly larger number are likely unaware of this opportunity. www.austria-citizenship.com is independent and not affiliated with the Austrian government, the European Union, the EU Council, or any other government agency.

 The goal of this initiative is to specifically inform the descendants of those persecuted and, if desired, provide them with assistance in the process. We know that in many families, the details of the lives of persecuted ancestors may have been lost or are no longer fully reconstructable. As native German speakers, we can assist with language issues when filling out the forms. We will make every effort to identify and find any available documents or archival materials concerning your persecuted ancestor. If desired, we can also research further details of your family history.