Consultation Hour with Jan-Mathis Holstein

After studying history, Jan-Mathis Holstein first learned about the field of probate genealogy through a newspaper article on unusual professions. Following several years as managing director of one of the largest companies in this sector, he founded his own firm three years ago. For over a decade, he has been tracing heirs when people die without wills or with unresolved family ties. These investigations often take years and reveal international family stories shaped by migration and the upheavals of twentieth-century Europe.

Based in Berlin, Jan-Mathis Holstein co-founded the International Association of Professional Probate Researchers (IAPPR). Beyond helping people unexpectedly inherit, the genealogist encounters moving stories – of siblings unaware of each other’s existence, cousins reunited, or a gold treasure uncovered many decades later.

How is it that people live and die without any contact with their relatives – or heirs? What family histories does Jan-Mathis Holstein uncover in his detective-like work? And how can I distinguish between a message from a reputable heir finder and an attempt at fraud?

During the Consultation Hour at the Humboldt Forum, you can talk directly with the experts – no appointment or waiting list required! It’s all about relaxed and open exchange with the audience.