The Wittgenstein siblings gave the Reichsbank their Swiss-held fortune in 1939 for "half-Jewish" status, and Vienna paid Paul's heirs €7,400 in 2008

After the Anschluss in 1938, the children of Karl Wittgenstein were classed as Jews under the Nuremberg Laws because of their ancestry, though three of their grandparents had converted to Christianity. Paul, a concert pianist, was barred from teaching and performing. He emigrated through Switzerland to the United States. His sisters Hermine and Helene stayed in Vienna. Much of the family fortune was held in Switzerland, beyond the Reich's reach. The Reichsbank pressed for that foreign currency. In 1939, under an agreement with the Reichsbank, the siblings were given "Mischling" (half-Jewish) status in exchange. Their sister Gretl led the negotiations. Hitler signed the final document, and a directive of 30 August 1939 said their classification "should present no further difficulties." Paul sold his Vienna properties to his sisters, including his one-third share of land at Neuwaldegg, and part of the price paid his Reich flight tax of 1.6 million Reichsmarks. Hermine died in 1950, Helene in 1956 and Paul in 1961. In 2008 an Austrian claims panel found no post-war restitution of Paul's share, which the City of Vienna now owns. Because part of it is under a street, it recommended €7,400 for his heirs instead of the land.