Restitution of Private Property in Postwar Poland: The Unfinished Legacy of the Second World War and Communism

This article was published in the Loyola of Los Angeles International and Comparative Law Review.

Following the devastation of World War II, the Polish people faced a second wave of dispossession: sweeping nationalization by the Soviet-backed Communist regime. From the infamous “Bierut Decree” that seized all privately owned land in Warsaw to the insurmountable hurdles faced by Holocaust survivors trying to reclaim their family homes, the history of property rights in Poland is incredibly complex.

A deep dive into Bazyler and Gostyński’s legal review reveals why Poland remains the only former Eastern Bloc nation with this “unfinished legacy” — and what it means for property owners and heirs today.

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