Edinburgh lecturer’s study into German royal family’s Nazi links wins Berlin prize
Edinburgh University academic Stephan Malinowski explored links between the House of Hohenzollern, toppled from throne after the First World War, and the Third Reich.
A British academic’s study into the German royal family’s links to the Nazis, which he turned into a book, has won a prize for non-fiction work in Berlin.
Edinburgh University senior lecturer Stephan Malinowski took the €25,000 (£21,500) cash prize at the Humboldt Forum in Berlin for exploring the links between the House of Hohenzollern, which was toppled from throne in a revolution after the First World War.
Malinowski, who teaches at the University of Edinburgh, had initially been commissioned by Germany’s Ministry of Finance to prepare a report after members of the family made a claim for restitution.
The family wants to reclaim property and money that was confiscated after the Second World War, including the Cecilienhof Palace, a mock-Tudor house in the town of Potsdam that was completed in 1917.
But they have been unable to claim compensation because the family offered “substantial support” to the Nazi regime.
Malinowski’s book, Die Hohenzollern und die Nazis (The Hohenzollerns and the Nazis), finds that Crown Prince Wilhem, the son of the last kaiser, “improved the conditions for the establishment and consolidation of the National Socialist regime”.
He added: “The attempt of a plan negotiated directly between Hitler and the Crown Prince for a joint takeover of power is documented.”
The book was published after several legal claims launched against Malinowski by the Hohenzollern family.
He told Jewish News that he wrote the book for two main reasons: “First, an interest in the emergence of the Nazi dictatorship and how and why conservative elites supported National Socialism.
“Second, after colleagues, journalists and myself have been legally attacked several times, the desire to present the historical empiricism in as much detail as possible – not only for specialist historians but for a broad audience.”
Legal battles over the book continue, led by Georg Frderich, the current head of the House of Hohenzollern.
For Malinowski, he said the issue would remain in the spotlight if more court cases were to follow: “I personally don’t want to do any more major studies on the subject.
“But if Georg Frederich Prince of Prussia, the so-called “Chef des Hauses”, does not withdraw his claim before the Potsdam Administrative Court, it is possible that the Hohenzollern family and the public authorities will continue to fight it out for many years in various courts up to the highest instances.”
The non-fiction prize jury described his book as “politically and legally explosive […] as cleverly composed as it is insightful – a joy and intellectual delight to read, despite the horrors.”
Die Hohenzollern und Die Nazis will be translated into English by Penguin in 2023.
ends
Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.
For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.
Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.
You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.
100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...
Engaging
Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.
Celebrating
There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.
Pioneering
In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.
Campaigning
Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.
Easy access
In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.
Voice of our community to wider society
The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.
We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.
