The Search for the Stolen 1709 Stradivarius Violin

In the final days of World War II, as Germany descended into chaos, a priceless Stradivarius violin from the workshop of Antonio Stradivari was stolen from a bank safe in Berlin. The violin, crafted in 1709, was placed in the safe years earlier by the Mendelssohn-Bohnke family to protect it from Nazi persecution. For years after the war, the family sought the violin, placing ads and filing reports with German authorities, but it was presumed lost or destroyed. However, the violin, known as the Mendelssohn, may have resurfaced. Cultural property scholar Carla Shapreau, after a 15-year search, discovered photos of a violin displayed at a 2018 Stradivarius exhibition in Tokyo that closely resembled the missing instrument. Though the violin, now called Stella, is listed as being made in 1707 instead of 1709, Shapreau believes it could be the long-lost Mendelssohn Stradivarius. This discovery has reignited hopes of recovering the violin, which is valued at millions of dollars.