The Beethoven Manuscript

Lecture and debate about the Franz Petschek family

The discussion will explain the fate of the autograph of the fourth movement of Ludwig van Beethoven's String Quartet in B flat major, Op.130. This rare relic reflects the turbulent history of Central Europe over the last two hundred years with its fascinating collecting story. The last owner of the manuscript, Franz Petschek, heir to an industrial empire, saved his life during his emigration, but all his property was seized by the Nazis. Beethoven's autograph was confiscated by the occupation authorities when they tried to take it out of the country, the Gestapo took an interest in it and people risked their lives to save it from the Nazis. The precious manuscript was then placed in the collections of the Moravian Museum, where Franz Petschek tried to retrieve it from his new home in the USA after the end of the war. However, he encountered stiff resistance from the country's communist leadership and did not live to see the return of his precious relic. The manuscript was returned to the family in 2022, under the Holocaust Relief Act.