[LCR]

Almost at the same time, Göring ordered the destruction of his country residence in Karinhalle, and in April the majority of works of art that were his collection, was transported by special train to Berchtesgaden and Untersteinach.

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In January 1945, the union of French art dealers decided not to make the French administration, no information regarding the illegal trade in works of art during the occupation, to avoid financial claims. Many respected professionals of the French art market - Fabiani, Petrides, Kaye and others less known - are actively traded with the Germans, which led to the rapid development of the art market during those four dark years.

In April, shortly before the entry in Munich the American army, crowd looted palace of the Fuhrer, and many works of art disappeared. Castle Nikolsburg (in what is now the Czech Republic), where he kept stolen art, was partially destroyed by a fire that accompanied the entry of Soviet troops. Subsequently, the Government of Czechoslovakia and the Soviet army claimed that the fire completely destroyed the castle.

In Paris, the art dealer Jean-Francois Lefranc, agent Vichy, who was involved in the Schloss, was arrested.

At the meeting of the advisory committee allies in Lourdes, the British objected to works of art, including those belonging to Germany, used to pay reparations.

On April 7, U.S. troops discovered on the outskirts of Weimar store gold reserves of the Reich, as well as paintings from the Berlin Museums. A few weeks later a U.S. military ship loaded with these works of art, secretly left the port of Nantes. Since then, the fate of the goods have not been heard.

By order of the Gauleiter Oberdonau Aygrubera entrance to the mine Alt Auzee where the collections, designed for the museum in Linz, was mined - the Nazis preferred to works of art were killed, but got allies. Fortunately, Kaltenbrunner ordered to clear the mines.

On April 11 was developed by order of distribution of found property: furniture and household items that could not be identified, distributed among the neediest of people affected by the expropriation. Rest of the property intended to return to the owners or their representatives, who could prove ownership within one year after the official date of termination of hostilities. After this period, it is movable property was to be sold by customs authorities. This date has not been determined, but, nevertheless, in the early 1950's Customs Administration has sold several thousand works of art. Competent organization without much enthusiasm involved the transfer of property owners and their successors, but this activity soon petered out, and the question remained open for nearly fifty years. Collectors had to conduct the investigation itself, to get back their property, some of them have still not received the return of the items submitted to them for temporary storage in museums and are still within them.

April 28, U.S. troops broke into the warehouse of the castle Neuschwanstein. Despite the fact that many works of art were transported from there by the Nazis, they found 1,300 paintings from museums in Bavaria and many paintings, confiscated in France, and German archives. Then the store were found in a monastery in Buxheim and Chiemsee.

In May, the Americans found a collection of Goering in Berchtesgaden. American structure, designed to return looted works of art owners, began its work. Were interrogated Nazis engaged in works of art, was organized storage of confiscated works of art. The main store was located in Munich.

The Americans decided that the works confiscated by the Germans in the European countries, should be returned to that same respect to works of art belonging to Germany, they could be transported to the United States, where they were stored for as long as the "nation of Germany did not deserve the right to be a as a nation, like all others. " This project had the support of President Truman, led a lively debate in the United States, opponents of such a decision had feared that these works in the end will be assigned. One way or another, but at the end of the war 200 works from the Kaiser Friedrich Museum in Berlin were moved to the United States.

They were returned to Germany, gradually, in parts, with the last item was transferred in April 1949.

In September 1945 the mandates were issued for the arrest of Martin Fabiani, an art dealer implicated in the illegal transactions in France, in particular in the organization of export of the collection of Ambroise Vollara. Fabiani was sentenced to a fine of 146 million francs, but against other traders, who collaborated with the Nazis, court action was taken.

3rd September 1945 "Mystic Lamb" brothers Van Eyck was returned to Belgium.

For as soon as possible to recover stolen works of art by the Nazis, the Allies of German citizens were obliged to declare all the works of art removed from the occupied territories and in their possession.

On December 10 the Swiss government issued a law on the procedure for return of property looted by the Nazis from occupied territories.

In France, between 1945 m and 1949 m over the years about 45 000 works of art were returned to their rightful owners, then sold 15 000 unclaimed items.