The story of how a 1709 Stradivarius violin, looted during the Nazi era, resurfaced in Japan

"She played it in the family quartet with her father and her husband, the composer and violist Emil Bohnke. A tragic car accident ended Lilli and Emil's life prematurely in May 1928, leaving behind three young children. After the tragedy, Franz placed the instrument in a safe deposit box at his own bank, after obtaining a certificate of authenticity in 1930."

"The Nazi rise to power in 1933, his death two years later, and the liquidation of the bank, considered a Jewish business by the Third Reich, meant that the violin ended up in the former Deutsche Bank headquarters on Mauerstrasse. It was apparently stolen from there in 1945 by the Soviet occupying forces, although it is also possible that it was taken away by the Nazis before the fall of Berlin."

"This valuable violin has recently been located in Japan, where it was going under another name, Stella. A preliminary report prepared by expert Carla Shapreau of the Institute of European Studies at the University of California, Berkeley, and published on the website of her project dedicated to the restitution of musical heritage looted during the Nazi era in Europe, has revealed another fascinating story about a Stradivarius that was plundered during the Third Reich."

In the 1920s Franz von Mendelssohn's Grunewald mansion served as a cultural hub hosting chamber music evenings with renowned pianists and eminent attendees. Franz, a partner in Mendelssohn & Co. Bank, owned antique instruments including the 1709 Stradivarius Mendelssohn, which he gave to his daughter Lilli von Mendelssohn-Bohnke. Lilli performed in a family quartet with her father and husband Emil Bohnke; both died in a car accident in May 1928, leaving three children. Franz placed the violin in a safe deposit box in 1930 with a certificate of authenticity. The Nazi rise to power, Franz's death, and the bank's liquidation led to the violin being transferred to the former Deutsche Bank headquarters on Mauerstrasse. The instrument was apparently removed in 1945 by Soviet occupying forces or possibly taken earlier by the Nazis. The violin has recently been located in Japan under the name "Stella," with historic 1930 images and 2000 color photos that aid identification.

Read at english.elpais.com