German museum to return Greek antiquities removed during WWII

The first repatriation of antiquities removed from Greek soil during the German occupation in World War II is expected in June, Skai reported on Wednesday.

The repatriation concerns about 8,000 pottery fragments currently in storage in the Pfahlbaumuseum in Bodensee.

In a letter addressed to Greek Parliament, Deputy Culture Minister Costas Tzavaras noted that the German cultural institution had expressed its intent to return the artefacts by next month.

Traced to the neolithic period, the fragments were discovered during an illegal excavation conducted in 1941 near Velestino, Thessaly, in central Greece. They were subsequently exported, illegally, by a German archaeologist.

The German museum informed Greek authorities of the existence of the antiquities in 2010.

Source: ekathimerini.com