Salvage of looted art in Berchtesgaden 1945. The photo shows the salvage 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 art objects to a truck to secure and transport them.
Harry Anderson, an officer of the Monuments Men, responsible for the protection and restitution of looted art, is also seen in the image.
The pictures, altarpieces, and sculptures were found in a freight train and further in a tunnel at Untersberg, in the former Führer exclusion zone Obersalzberg.
The artworks come from Hermann Göring’s private collection, who plundered works extensively throughout Europe. The salvage was part of the restitution of stolen cultural assets after World War II. 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.