"WWII Most Valuable Treasures Still Missing Today" Topic

"In the history of warfare, tales of looting in conquered territories is quite familiar, and with a major conflict such as World War II, the loss of historical artifacts and priceless treasures obviously occurred. Many items of value or cultural significance including gold, silver, currency, art, and cultural entities worth trillions of dollars were reported missing

Legal efforts compete with illegal endeavors in Europe as both government agents and treasure hunters strive to locate relics and treasures from WWII. Although several items have been found in the years that followed the end of the war, many others have not. Whether they were stolen or not, no one seems to know, or isn't telling, the whereabouts of these items…"
Main page
link

Amicalement
Armand

We just had an incident of this in the Metro DC area where an auction house identified a stolen Ukrainian painting. The couple that owned it -- from the town where I grew up -- got it with a house they bought in 1987. They're returning it, of course, especially since the wife is a Holocaust survivor born in Hungary.

link

For those of you interested in WW2 looting in Europe by the Nazis, may I recommend the following books:

The Rape of Europa: The Fate of Europe's Treasures in the Third Reich and the Second World War by Lynn H. Nicholas (Random House, 1994)

The Monuments Men: Allied Heroes, Nazi Thieves, and the Greatest Treasure Hunt in History by Robert M. Edsel (Center Street, 2009) [And yes, the eponymous movie was based on this book.]

Saving Italy: The Race to Rescue a Nation's Treasures from the Nazis by Robert M. Edsel (Norton, 2013)

There are other books that I've read, including one about the famous "Amber Room" mentioned in Armand's original post.

Jim

Thanks!.

Amicalement
Armand

I would think a book on all the stuff the Russian carted off with after the war would be interesting. The Trojan Treasures as a example, Should go back to Turkey.