Merkers Mine Discovery

In late March of 1945, General Patton's troops crossed the Rhine and advanced into the heart of Germany. On April 4, the Americans took the village of Merkers and established a command post in Kieselbach. At the order of General Patton, a curfew was put into place in the area.

On April 6 1945, two American military policemen stopped a pair of women, one of whom was pregnant, outside of the German town of Kieselbach and advised them that a curfew was in effect. The women, who were French displaced persons, were walking to town to see a midwife, but were driven back to Merkers by the MPs. During the drive, one of the Americans observed a mine that they were passing and asked the women what type of mine it was. One of the women revealed that it was a mine where the Germans had stored gold reserves and artwork weeks before.

The women were correct. Inside the mine in Merkers, the American troops discovered gold and currency valued at $500 million (today $15 billion), which was intended to finance the ongoing war. Although the press at the time was more interested in reporting about the gold reserve, the troops discovered a staggering amount of artwork, which the Monuments Men worked toward relocating. Robert Edsel writes that in April 1945, 32 ten-ton trucks left Merkers Mine for Franfurt. Monuments Men George Stout's inventory "listed 393 paintings (uncrated), 2,091 print boxes, 1,214 cases, and 140 textiles, representing most of the Prussian state art collection" (Edsel, 299).

A 1945 Newsreel about the Discovery of Merkers


The U.S. National Archives has some truly remarkable photographs of the Merkers Mine discovery in its collection:

Troops with Manet's Wintergarden

Eisenhower touring Merkers

Harold Maus from Scranton, PA (Yay!) examines Durer engraving

In addition, check out Discovery Channel's video about Merkers Mine and note the reference to the Amber Room, discussed in earlier post.

Resources

Bradshe, Greg. "Nazi Gold: The Merkers Mine Treasure." Quarterly of the National Archives 31:1 (Spring 1999): Prologue.

Edsel, Robert M. with Bret Witter. The Monuments Men. New York: Center Street, 2009.

Monuments Men Biographies: You Can Help!

About 345 men and women from thirteen countries served in the Monuments, Fine Arts, and Archives (“MFAA”) section under the auspices of the Civil Affairs and Military Government Sections of the Allied Armies during World War II. These individuals worked tirelessly to protect and locate our cultural treasures during the war and, in the conflict's final year, returned more than 5 million cultural objects that were taken by the Nazis. Some remained in Europe for six years after the war, seeing to the restitution of cultural property.

The Monuments Men Foundation is working toward building upon the knowledge that has been collected about the Monuments Men and Women. I was interested to come across the Foundation's page that invites the public to contribute any information about the individuals whose stories the researchers have not yet collected. I hope that we do someday have biographies for each of them and I greatly admire the Foundation's efforts.