The Confiscation and Restitution of Agricultural Property of Persons of German and Hungarian Nationality in Czechoslovakia

By the Decree of the President of the Republic of 21 June 1945 (No 12/1945 Coll. of Laws), the agricultural property of all persons of Hungarian and German nationality, irrespective of their citizenship, was confiscated with immediate effect and without compensation. The decree was valid only in the Czech lands. In Slovakia according to the Decree of the Presidium of the Slovak National Council of 27 February 1945 (No 4/1945 Coll. of Decrees of SNR), only the agricultural property of persons of German ethnic origin was confiscated; agricultural property of persons of Hungarian ethnic origin was confiscated only if they did not have Czechoslovak citizenship on 1 November 1938 and owned more than 50 hectares of land. Later, however, the confiscation was extended to all land owned by Hungarians in Slovakia (Decree No 64/1946 Coll. SNR). In Autumn 1948, by Decree No 26/1948 Coll. SNR, the land up to 50 hectares was to be returned to Hungarians, whose Czechoslovak citizenship was restored. Due to the forthcoming forced collectivisation, this decree was only partly realised. By Act of 21 May 1991 “On the regulation of ownership relations to land and other agricultural property” (No 229/1991 Coll.), the restitution applied only to property transferred to the state or other legal persons between 25 February 1948 and 1 January 1990. By this act, the majority of Hungarians and Germans were excluded from restitution. But in Slovakia, restitution of land belonging originally to Hungarian owners up to 50 hectares was possible according to Decree 26/1948, which remained in force.