Recovery of Looted Art in Berchtesgaden 1945

Description

Recovery of looted art in Berchtesgaden 1945; Photo; Licensed item; Original: 5740×4315; Photographer: Unknown;a0 Licensable; Rights: a9 Bleek/znb Media. The photo shows the recovery of looted art from Hermann Göring’s collection by the US Army and the Monuments Men in Berchtesgaden in June 1945.
US soldiers carry paintings, sculptures, and artworks to a truck to secure and transport them.
Harry Anderson, an officer of the Monuments Men, who were responsible for the protection and restitution of looted art, is also visible in the picture.
The pictures, altars, and sculptures were found in a freight train and others in a tunnel at Untersberg, in the former Führer’s restricted area Obersalzberg.
The artworks originate from the private collection of Hermann Göring, who looted artworks on a massive scale throughout Europe. The recovery was part of the restitution of stolen cultural assets after World War II. They were brought from Berchtesgaden to the Central Collecting Point in Munich.
The photo documents the rescue of significant artworks looted by the Nazis and the role of the Monuments Men in preserving European cultural heritage.