Albrecht Gaiswinkler
Encyclopedia
Albrecht Gaiswinkler was an Austria
n civil servant, social democrat (SPÖ) politician
and resistance fighter
, who, some believe, saved the Mona Lisa
from destruction in an Austrian salt mine
towards the end of World War II
.
Gaiswinkler was born in Bad Aussee
, Austria
in 1905. In 1934, he was a political prisoner for some months. In 1944, while serving with the German
Wehrmacht
in France
, he deserted and joined the Maquis
, bringing with him four trucks of arms and ammunition and 500,000 francs. When the U.S. Third Army liberated Alsace
in September 1944, he gave himself up to them (along with 17 German prisoners). He then went to work for the British
Special Operations Executive
and, in 1945, he was parachute
d back into the Aussee area with three colleagues: Valentin Tarra, Johann Moser and Hans Renner.
The Germans had pillaged a huge number of European art treasures during the Nazi
period and many had been stored in a salt mine near Gaiswinkler's home town of Bad Aussee. After being dropped into the local area, Gaiswinkler raised a force of around 300 men and armed them with captured German weapons. He spent the last weeks and months of the war harassing local German forces. When the Americans arrived, his information helped them capture several eminent Nazis. He and his colleagues had captured the salt mine, prevented the destruction of the artworks held there and were able to hand over "a number of Nazi treasure hoards, including the Mona Lisa and the Austrian Imperial Crown Jewels
". Other artworks rescued included the Ghent Altarpiece
.
The administrators of the Louvre
have stated that the Mona Lisa was kept in France during the second world war, but that it is possible that a 15th or 16th century copy of the Mona Lisa was held in Austria.
After the war, Gaiswinkler was a SPÖ member of the Austrian Parliament from 1945-1949. He died in Bad Aussee in 1979.
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
n civil servant, social democrat (SPÖ) politician
Social Democratic Party of Austria
The Social Democratic Party of Austria is one of the oldest political parties in Austria. The SPÖ is one of the two major parties in Austria, and has ties to trade unions and the Austrian Chamber of Labour. The SPÖ is among the few mainstream European social-democratic parties that have preserved...
and resistance fighter
Austrian resistance
The Austrian resistance to the Nazi rule that started with the Anschluss in 1938 had a prehistory of socialist and communist activism against the era of Austrofascism from 1934. These activists, limited primarily to adherents of the political far left, operated in isolation from the Austrian...
, who, some believe, saved the Mona Lisa
Mona Lisa
Mona Lisa is a portrait by the Italian artist Leonardo da Vinci. It is a painting in oil on a poplar panel, completed circa 1503–1519...
from destruction in an Austrian salt mine
Salt mine
A salt mine is a mining operation involved in the extraction of rock salt or halite from evaporite deposits.-Occurrence:Areas known for their salt mines include Kilroot near Carrickfergus, Northern Ireland ; Khewra and Warcha in Pakistan; Tuzla in Bosnia; Wieliczka and Bochnia in Poland A salt mine...
towards the end of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
Gaiswinkler was born in Bad Aussee
Bad Aussee
-Tracht:Bad Aussee is unique within Austria as its inhabitants wear Tracht, or traditional dress, on a daily basis. Within other regions of Austria, it could almost be taken as a political statement if one were to wear Tracht. For women, this consists of a Dirndl, a type of dress with a fitted...
, Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
in 1905. In 1934, he was a political prisoner for some months. In 1944, while serving with the German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
Wehrmacht
Wehrmacht
The Wehrmacht – from , to defend and , the might/power) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the Heer , the Kriegsmarine and the Luftwaffe .-Origin and use of the term:...
in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, he deserted and joined the Maquis
Maquis (World War II)
The Maquis were the predominantly rural guerrilla bands of the French Resistance. Initially they were composed of men who had escaped into the mountains to avoid conscription into Vichy France's Service du travail obligatoire to provide forced labour for Germany...
, bringing with him four trucks of arms and ammunition and 500,000 francs. When the U.S. Third Army liberated Alsace
Alsace
Alsace is the fifth-smallest of the 27 regions of France in land area , and the smallest in metropolitan France. It is also the seventh-most densely populated region in France and third most densely populated region in metropolitan France, with ca. 220 inhabitants per km²...
in September 1944, he gave himself up to them (along with 17 German prisoners). He then went to work for the British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
Special Operations Executive
Special Operations Executive
The Special Operations Executive was a World War II organisation of the United Kingdom. It was officially formed by Prime Minister Winston Churchill and Minister of Economic Warfare Hugh Dalton on 22 July 1940, to conduct guerrilla warfare against the Axis powers and to instruct and aid local...
and, in 1945, he was parachute
Parachute
A parachute is a device used to slow the motion of an object through an atmosphere by creating drag, or in the case of ram-air parachutes, aerodynamic lift. Parachutes are usually made out of light, strong cloth, originally silk, now most commonly nylon...
d back into the Aussee area with three colleagues: Valentin Tarra, Johann Moser and Hans Renner.
The Germans had pillaged a huge number of European art treasures during the Nazi
Nazism
Nazism, the common short form name of National Socialism was the ideology and practice of the Nazi Party and of Nazi Germany...
period and many had been stored in a salt mine near Gaiswinkler's home town of Bad Aussee. After being dropped into the local area, Gaiswinkler raised a force of around 300 men and armed them with captured German weapons. He spent the last weeks and months of the war harassing local German forces. When the Americans arrived, his information helped them capture several eminent Nazis. He and his colleagues had captured the salt mine, prevented the destruction of the artworks held there and were able to hand over "a number of Nazi treasure hoards, including the Mona Lisa and the Austrian Imperial Crown Jewels
Austrian Crown Jewels
The collective term Austrian Crown Jewels or insignia denotes the regalia and vestments worn by the Holy Roman emperor, and later the Austrian emperor, during the coronation ceremony and at various other state functions...
". Other artworks rescued included the Ghent Altarpiece
Ghent Altarpiece
The Ghent Altarpiece or Adoration of the Mystic Lamb is a very large and complex Early Netherlandish polyptych panel painting which is considered to be one of Belgium's masterpieces and one of the world's treasures.It was once in the Joost Vijdt chapel at Saint Bavo Cathedral, Ghent, Belgium, but...
.
The administrators of the Louvre
Louvre
The Musée du Louvre – in English, the Louvre Museum or simply the Louvre – is one of the world's largest museums, the most visited art museum in the world and a historic monument. A central landmark of Paris, it is located on the Right Bank of the Seine in the 1st arrondissement...
have stated that the Mona Lisa was kept in France during the second world war, but that it is possible that a 15th or 16th century copy of the Mona Lisa was held in Austria.
After the war, Gaiswinkler was a SPÖ member of the Austrian Parliament from 1945-1949. He died in Bad Aussee in 1979.