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/zb 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 artifacts to a truck to secure and transport them.
Harry Anderson, an officer of the Monuments Men responsible for the protection and restitution of stolen art, is also seen in the picture.
The paintings, altars, and sculptures were found in a freight train and others in a tunnel at Untersberg, in the former Führer restricted area of Obersalzberg.
The artworks come from Hermann Göring’s private collection, who plundered works extensively throughout Europe. The recovery was part of the restitution of stolen cultural property after the Second World War. From Berchtesgaden, they were brought to the Central Collecting Point in Munich.
The photo documents the rescue of significant artworks that were looted by the Nazis and the role of the Monuments Men in preserving European cultural heritage.