How Schloss Klessheim: Nazi past of Hitler's lavish Austrian palace uncovered by historians
Schloss Klessheim: Nazi past of Hitler's lavish Austrian palace uncovered by historians
Twenty paintings acquired by the Nazis during the war were identified in Klessheim Palace.
The
most extensive research to date has been conducted to document the Nazi
past of Klessheim Palace in Austria. Art historian Imma Walderdorff
investigated how the monument was refurbished to serve as a lavish guest
house for Adolf Hitler and where the paintings adorning its walls came
from.
Klessheim Palace is located in Salzburg and had been a
baroque hunting lodge until being profoundly transformed by the Nazis.
Its refurbishment was considered to be "important to the war effort".
Walderdorff's project, funded by the Austrian Science Fund FWF,
was to conduct the first scientific investigation of the artworks and
documents inside the palace complex to understand its political and
cultural significance in the context of National Socialism.
Both
the palace and its surrounding were organised and decorated in an
ostentatious fashion to demonstrate the power of the Nazi regime. The
complex had its own railway station and monumental sculptures of eagles –
an important Nazi symbol – welcomed the visitors at the entrance gates.
The
massive refurbishments at Klessheim Palace sets the building apart from
other monuments used by the Nazis under Hitler. "Compared to other
structures used by the NS leadership for entertaining, Klessheim is
certainly unique because of the massive refurbishments", explains
Walderdorff.
It is thought to have been a meeting place for leading Nazis, but Hitler also used it to receive the heads of allied states – from Mussolini to Antonescu of Romania.
"The
palace is 30 minutes away from the Obersalzberg (Hitler's home). From
1942 to 1944 most of his meetings (with Mussolini, Ciano, Horty...) were
there, but Hitler always went back to the Obersalzberg, he never stayed
over night. This might be surprising, but Hitler never planned to have
an apartment there for himself", Walderdorff told IBTimes UK. Paintings in a time of war
The
historian's main task was to find out more about the origins of the
paintings in the palace, in the hope of learning learn more about Nazi
looting and art deals during the war.
To do this, she examined
international archives in Berlin, Koblenz, Munich, Paris and Washington
and talked to descendants of artists who participated in the
refurbishment of the palace. She also inspected the archives of the Land
of Salzburg, the current owner of the palace.
The paintings and furniture are still owned by the Land of Salzburg.Stadt Salzburg ArchivesAmong
these archives, Walderdorff identified 20 paintings acquired during the
war. Of these, 19 had been acquired by an obscure Berlin-based
businessman, Arthur Heinrich Kreiser. Very little is known about him,
but he also appears to have been the main provider of all the furniture,
paintings and rugs placed inside the palace to decorate it.
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"Most
of the themes of the 20 paintings are landscapes or mythological
scenes, from the 17th and 18th centuries. The first idea was to decorate
the palace with objects from the Rothschild family, but Hitler
preferred to have these objects for his museum in Linz", Walderdorff
said.
So far it's not been possible to determine who the prior
owners of the paintings were, and whether the artworks had been
rightfully bought or looted.
Klessheim Palace was intended as a lavish residence for Hitler's guests.Stadt Salzburg ArchivesOther
paintings found in the palace appeared to have been loans from Viennese
museums arranged by Joseph Goebbels, the feared Nazi minister of
propaganda. They decorated the rooms of Klessheim Palace when it served
as a residence for the summer festival season, even before it was
refurbished as a guest residence and before the war.
The richness
of these artworks was meant to impress Hitler's guests and these
findings provide the first documentation of the major cultural
significance of the building, used by the Nazi regime for representational purposes.
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