Untold Pieces Of Priceless Literature Just Sitting There...
During World War II, the Nazis executed the most heinous mass slaughter of millions of people the world had ever seen. Obviously, those deplorable acts rightfully took precedent over the other massive Nazi crime in WWII: the looting and plundering of billions in art, gold, and valuables taken from the people they decimated. Wars and natural disasters always provide opportunities for the worst in humans. However, the Nazis took it to a whole other level of loathsome by systemically stealing priceless art, artifacts, and other treasures. Hitler envisioned his own Führermuseum, housing the great works taken from all over Europe.
A solider among the tombs of priceless books and artifacts stolen by the Nazis.
People living all over the world are looking for "Nazi loot" or "Nazi Gold" every day, because with over $5 billion in value, it certainly feels like a safe alternative to a full-time job in this economy. But the amount of culture, humanity, and imprint of people's emotions we've erased with war and colonialism just shows the extent of the cultural erasure and how much cultural damage much even one war can bring into the art world of any country.
The Amber Room
The decadent Amber room. (historycity)
The Amber Room was designed in the 18th century, a gift from Prussian King Frederick William to the Russian Emperor Peter the Great, symbol of the Prussian Russian alliance against Sweden. Wall to wall gold was inlaid by fossilized amber, precious stones, and gold leaf. Modern estimates of the room ranged from $142 million in 2007 to more than $500 million in 2016.
When the Nazis invaded the Soviet Union during Operation Barbarossa in 1941, the Amber Room sat in a chamber of the Catherine Palace in the town of Pushkin. The Germans, believing the room to be theirs, (as if that mattered) completely disassembled the room from top to bottom. It was then shipped to a castle museum in Konigsberg, Germany, which is now Kaliningrad, Russia. The allied bombing of the town was believed to have destroyed the precious room. Still, treasure hunters search for its remains.
Merker’s Treasure Trove
The cache found below the German town of Merker held more than 200 million in gold. (History)
One of the largest caches of Nazi gold ever discovered came from the German town of Merker. In 1945 the U.S Army was pushing hard into Germany after crossing the Rhine River. Once in Merker, they began questioning locals about rumors of Reichsbank gold coming from Berlin. Troops only had gossip to follow but when two French girls detailed German troops carrying gold and valuable artwork into a nearby mine, the search was on.
Expertly hidden within a catacomb mine lay one of the largest Nazi hordes of gold ever found. More than $250 million in stolen gold and artwork was discovered by enterprising troops. Professor Timothy Naftali visited the mine over 60 years later to see the scene of Hitler’s greed up close. He described the mine thusly, “The journey starts with a 2,000-foot descent in the mine’s industrial lift. Just like in 1945, the Nazi’s secret treasure room is not easily accessible.” Behind a nondescript door called number eight sat one of the greatest treasure collections ever found. “75 feet wide and 150 feet long, with 12-foot-high ceilings and its own tram railway leading in and out, this space once contained the lion’s share of Nazi Germany’s secret wealth.”
Adolf Hitler Standing Next To Stolen Fine Art
Hitler examining his underground treasure trove of looted art and gold. (History)
Hitler’s Gold Reserve
After a firefight with the Nazis guarding their treasure like dragons, the U.S troops blew a hole in the wall, to avoid setting off any booby traps. Of course, the numbers don’t add up. It was estimated that “the Nazis stole $598 million (£483million) worth of gold, what was found here was not all of it, what they found was worth about $250 million (£202million), less than half.” That little fact is why people all over the world still hunt for Nazi gold.
Imperial Gold Regalia
Officers inspecting the Imperial Regalia after a hard fought search. (National Archives and Records Administration U.S. National Archives)
To keep the treasure safe, it was hidden underneath a castle in Nuremberg. When U.S troops infiltrated the castle, much of the gold was found, but the five most important pieces of the Imperial Regalia were missing. The crown, orb, scepter, and two swords were nowhere to be found. However, there was a rumor that the Nazis sunk the priceless pieces to the bottom of Lake Zell am See in Austria.
After multiple interrogations of SS officers, one of whom committed suicide, Horn was led on a wild goose chase. Finally, after even more interrogations of another round of SS officers, the truth was uncovered. The Imperial Regalia lay behind a false wall in a subterranean corridor of the Panier Platz Bunker. On January 4th, 1946, Monuments Man, Andrew C. Ritchie, accompanied the sainted pieces back to Austrian officials for the transfer, finding some of the last Nazi treasure that is (for sure) known to be out there.
