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59:
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minute by the local mine administration, the repository officers and the miners. On the night of 3–4 May 1945 it was possible to remove the embedded bombs from the mine. To bluff
Gauleiter Eigruber and to prevent further access to the treasures the major entrances into the mine were blown up. After the occupation of Altaussee on 8 May 1945 by an American infantry unit, the art depot was seized by the
267:
332:
and 98 million French francs (equivalent to 11 billion 2021 €). In other areas were 400 tons of artwork, and hundreds of tons of patent and other records, ammunition, library holdings (2 million books), and valises containing the confiscated valuables of the Third Reich's victims. By April 16 the US
70:
served as a huge repository for art stolen by the Nazis. It also contained holdings from
Austrian collections. Initially, in August 1943, art treasures from Austrian churches, monasteries and museums were transferred into the mines for safekeeping, followed by, starting in February 1944, a stock of
322:
of the US Army captured the town of
Merkers. Two days later, some military policemen encountered two local women who they escorted into town. The citizens commented on the use of the mine as they passed by it, and the story was soon confirmed. One entrance to the mine was already under guard, but
180:
gave orders to blow it up. For this intention he had eight bombs with 500 kg each transported into the tunnels. Hitler countermanded
Eigruber's order, but after the "FĂĽhrer's" death the Gauleiter ignored this. Nevertheless, his order was not carried out. The destruction was prevented at the last
447:, in order to protect it from Allied bombing. Later, in April 1945, fires broke out at the mine after American forces reached the site. While reports by Monuments Men noted that the contents of the mine had been "entirely reduced to ashes", part of the collection was recovered after the war.
327:
at the main entrance. The gold was protected by a vault, which was eventually blasted. Inside was a room 75 x 150 feet containing 7,000 numbered bags of gold bar and coins, 250 tons in all. The vault stored currencies from across Europe, including 2.7 billion
85:, Austria. At the end of the war the entire depot stored 6,577 paintings, 137 sculptures, and 484 crates of other art, as well as furniture, weapons, coins, and library collections, including some of Adolf Hitler's so-called
431:
in
Bavaria was used to store many artworks on the assumption that it was unlikely to sustain damage in war. It housed art confiscated from Parisian Jews—more than 21,000 objects—and about 2,000 works from the
857:
361:
708:
990:
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building in
Frankfurt, with a convoy of 30 overloaded ten-ton trucks under heavy protection, including air support. This procedure was repeated for the artwork. General
266:
747:
166:
868:
853:
186:
820:
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there were four more, all of which were ordered guarded. Inside, US officials found 30 miles of galleries, and bags containing almost half a billion
319:
440:
433:
740:
675:
643:
574:
794:
349:
532:"Altaussee Salt Mines: During World War II, Austria's oldest salt mine was used to store thousands of pieces of stolen artwork"
190:
957:
825:
862:
733:
985:
499:
107:
611:
U.S. and Allied
Efforts To Recover and Restore Gold and Other Assets Stolen or Hidden by Germany During World War II
898:
809:
776:
980:
835:
789:
138:
58:
591:"Murray G. Hall: The untold story of the "FĂĽhrerbibliothek" and the role of the National Library in Vienna"
197:
in the following years, where the difficult process of restitution began, which is still going on today.
890:
428:
420:
71:
about 4,700 works of stolen art from all over Europe. These artworks were accumulated under the alias
930:
756:
654:
340:
308:
307:(equivalent to 2 billion 2021 €), thousands of crates of artworks that had been transferred from the
125:
700:
772:
476:
377:
144:
62:
Altaussee, May 1945 after the removal of the eight 500 kg bombs at the Nazi stolen art repository.
873:
158:
41:
203:
189:). The entrances were opened again and the rescue work began. The artworks were brought to the
922:
906:
671:
639:
570:
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102:
404:) contained a large cache of art and artifacts. They included the relics of Charlemagne from
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467:
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590:
531:
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783:
150:
78:
73:
949:
914:
799:
408:, as well as paintings, sculpture, manuscripts, and other objects from German museums.
974:
559:
170:
815:
312:
115:
97:
25:
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77:(Special Commission: Linz) by Adolf Hitler and were intended for the planned
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where many plundered art works were stored by the Nazis during World War II.
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67:
37:
33:
21:
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In April 1945, as the Allied troops approached the salt mine, Gauleiter
725:
296:
133:
93:
393:
386:
194:
162:
111:
45:
415:
376:
165:, Italy that had been stolen by the Hermann Göring Tank Division (
129:
57:
624:
The
Safekeepers: A Memoir of the Arts at the End of World War II
154:
82:
729:
66:
Between 1943 and 1945, the extensive complex of salt mines in
854:
Monuments, Fine Arts, and
Archives program ("Monuments Men")
668:
The Arts in Nazi
Germany: Continuity, Conformity, Change
343:
visited the mine sometime in April to examine the find.
443:) was transported to a salt mine in the nearby town of
439:
The collection of the Kaiser-Friedrich Museum (now the
709:
Monuments Men Foundation for the Preservation of Art
941:
882:
846:
763:
636:
The US Army in the Occupation of Germany, 1944–1946
561:
The Faustian Bargain: The Art World in Nazi Germany
666:Huener, Jonathan; Nicosia, Francis R. (2006).
869:Washington Principles on Nazi-Confiscated Art
741:
8:
638:. Government Printing Office. pp. 228–230.
167:Fallschirm-Panzer Division 1 Hermann Göring
748:
734:
726:
149:which were to be focal points of Hitler’s
991:Art theft and looting during World War II
821:Art theft and looting during World War II
501:No Looted Art in Hitler's Museum in Linz
333:began moving the gold and currency to a
92:The contents of the repository included
609:United States State Department (1997).
490:
345:
199:
24:and other objects that had been either
295:The Kaiseroda salt mine complex near
7:
526:
524:
522:
28:or moved for safekeeping at various
565:. Oxford University Press. p.
441:Kulturhistorisches Museum Magdeburg
434:Bavarian State Painting Collections
703:The Painter on the Way to Tarascon
367:Eisenhower inspects stolen artwork
355:Nazi gold in the Merkers salt mine
14:
30:storage sites during World War II
795:Reichsleiter Rosenberg Taskforce
498:Lohr, Hanns (20 November 2000),
360:
348:
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256:
247:
238:
229:
220:
211:
202:
701:"Vincent van Gogh (1853-1890).
670:. Berghahn Books. p. 140.
958:Republic of Austria v. Altmann
655:Monuments Men Inside the Mines
557:Petropoulos, Jonathan (2000).
1:
902:(1994 book, 2006 documentary)
863:The Spoils of War (symposium)
191:Central Art Collecting Point
538:. Atlas Obscura. 4 May 2022
1007:
626:. Walter de Gruyter. p. 30
451:Notable artworks recovered
311:for safekeeping, and many
810:Degenerate Art Exhibition
777:paintings by Adolf Hitler
279:being recovered from the
157:, and paintings from the
96:-owned treasures such as
790:Reich Chamber of Culture
381:Sign at the site of the
299:stored over 400 million
766:and during World War II
764:In Nazi Germany, before
32:. These sites included
536:Atlas Obscura - Places
424:
389:
320:90th Infantry Division
318:On April 4, 1945, the
63:
20:looted and stole art,
429:Neuschwanstein Castle
421:Neuschwanstein Castle
419:
380:
61:
44:and a copper mine at
757:Art and World War II
622:Walter Ings Farmer,
341:Dwight D. Eisenhower
309:Berlin State Museums
126:Saint Bavo Cathedral
89:(FĂĽhrer's library).
986:20th century in art
773:Art in Nazi Germany
477:In the Conservatory
281:Altaussee salt mine
145:The Art of Painting
52:Altaussee salt mine
918:(2007 documentary)
899:The Rape of Europa
883:In popular culture
874:Gurlitt Collection
831:Nazi storage sites
425:
390:
159:Capodimonte Museum
108:Church of Our Lady
74:Sonderauftrag Linz
64:
968:
967:
923:The Monuments Men
907:Rescuing Da Vinci
826:Looting of Poland
459:Madonna of Bruges
289:Merkers salt mine
276:Madonna of Bruges
103:Madonna of Bruges
998:
836:stolen paintings
750:
743:
736:
727:
720:
719:
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715:
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663:
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504:, archived from
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468:Ghent Altarpiece
406:Aachen Cathedral
402:Alte Silberkaute
364:
352:
269:
260:
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121:Ghent Altarpiece
106:stolen from the
87:FĂĽhrerbibliothek
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1005:
1001:
1000:
999:
997:
996:
995:
981:Nazi-looted art
971:
970:
969:
964:
937:
878:
842:
804:Entartete Kunst
765:
759:
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724:
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690:Petropoulos, 41
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178:August Eigruber
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5:
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983:
973:
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963:
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954:
950:Menzel v. List
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939:
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936:
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927:
919:
915:Stealing Klimt
911:
903:
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800:Degenerate art
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508:on 21 May 2008
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456:Michelangelo,
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398:Hainer Stollen
383:Hainer Stollen
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315:works of art.
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139:The Astronomer
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931:Woman in Gold
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677:9781845452094
673:
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644:9780160899188
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576:0-19-512964-4
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187:Monuments Men
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171:Monte Cassino
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27:
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19:
956:
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913:
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847:Art recovery
830:
816:Nazi plunder
803:
784:FĂĽhrermuseum
782:
712:. Retrieved
702:
695:
686:
667:
661:
650:
635:
631:
623:
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610:
605:
594:. Retrieved
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560:
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540:. Retrieved
535:
510:, retrieved
506:the original
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382:
334:
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151:FĂĽhrermuseum
143:
137:
124:stolen from
119:
116:Jan van Eyck
101:
98:Michelangelo
91:
86:
79:FĂĽhrermuseum
72:
65:
55:
29:
17:
15:
934:(2015 film)
926:(2014 film)
910:(2006 book)
894:(1964 film)
512:13 December
471:, Altaussee
462:, Altaussee
412:Other sites
373:Siegen mine
330:Reichsmarks
325:Reichsmarks
301:Reichsmarks
16:The German
975:Categories
596:2013-03-17
485:References
465:van Eyck,
336:Reichsbank
173:in Italy.
34:salt mines
18:Nazi Party
891:The Train
858:personnel
480:, Merkers
445:Stassfurt
305:Nazi gold
303:worth of
183:U.S. Army
68:Altaussee
38:Altaussee
26:plundered
942:Related
705:(1888)"
542:21 June
474:Manet,
297:Merkers
134:Vermeer
94:Belgian
42:Merkers
961:(2004)
953:(1966)
865:(1995)
812:(1937)
714:20 May
674:
642:
573:
396:mine (
394:Siegen
387:Siegen
313:stolen
195:Munich
163:Naples
112:Bruges
46:Siegen
400:aka.
169:) at
130:Ghent
716:2023
672:ISBN
640:ISBN
571:ISBN
544:2022
514:2008
427:The
392:The
273:The
155:Linz
142:and
114:and
83:Linz
40:and
22:gold
385:in
193:in
161:in
153:in
136:’s
128:in
118:’s
110:in
100:'s
81:in
36:at
977::
856:–
707:.
569:.
567:40
534:.
521:^
436:.
132:,
48:.
806:)
802:(
779:)
775:(
749:e
742:t
735:v
718:.
680:.
613:.
599:.
579:.
546:.
185:(
147:,
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