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 worked as a provenance researcher for the Upper Austrian State Museum in Linz, Austria, before continuing his work with museums (Nordico Museum 2019) and private collectors. His expertise includes conducting audits of entire collections and advising on the practical, technical, and legal aspects of handling cultural goods lost due to Nazi persecution, including collaboration with specialized law firms when necessary.

Gregor's primary mission is to reconstruct art collections stolen by the Nazis to facilitate potential restitutions. He brings extensive experience working with archives in Austria and Germany, particularly in Frankfurt, Wiesbaden, Cologne, Munich, Berlin, and Vienna. In his role as a provenance and heir researcher, Gregor regularly interacts with descendants of displaced Germans and Austrians. He has often encountered individuals unaware of their eligibility to obtain Austrian citizenship or an Austrian passport. While thousands of descendants from around the world have successfully acquired Austrian citizenship since 2020, many more are likely unaware of this opportunity.

The website www.austria-citizenship.com is an independent initiative and is not affiliated with the Austrian government, the European Union, the EU Council, or any other governmental body. Its goal is to inform the descendants of those persecuted and, if desired, provide assistance throughout the process.

Recognizing that the details of persecuted ancestors' lives may have been lost or are challenging to reconstruct fully, the initiative offers support, including language assistance from native German speakers when completing forms. It strives to identify and locate any available documents or archival materials related to a persecuted ancestor. If requested, additional family history research can also be undertaken.