IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF THE MONUMENTS MEN TOUR

France / Netherlands / Germany / Austria
September 14 – 23, 2012

As Hitler’s armies attempted to conquer the western world, they were also pillaging the finest art in Europe, from paintings by da Vinci and Rembrandt to sculptures by Michelangelo. A group of Allied soldiers, known as the Monuments Men, were charged with locating and returning to the rightful owners millions of cultural items stolen by the Nazis.

 

Now you can follow the path of these heroes from Paris to the mine at Altaussee, Austria, where the greatest trove of stolen works was discovered in the closing days of the war. We will be joined by Robert M. Edsel, author of The Monuments Men and founder of The Monuments Men Foundation for the Preservation of Art. Don’t miss this modern-day treasure hunt.

 

THE ITINERARY

In the Footsteps of the Monuments Men

September 14
The Monuments Men Welcome Reception

September 15
Paris: Masterpieces Lost and Found

September 16
Reims: Coronations and Capitulations and the Madonna of La Gleize

September 17
The Shelter of the Maastricht Mines

September 18
The Cathedrals of Aachen and Cologne

September 19
Tiepolo’s Fresco at the Residenz Palace in Wurzburg

September 20
The Prize of Neuschwanstein & the Rise of the Nazis

September 21
Hitler’s Eagle’s Nest and Göring’s Plundered Treasures

September 22
The Secrets of the Altaussee Salt Mines

September 23
Return home

 

For a more detailed itinerary for this tour, download the full brochure.

GUEST WWII VETERAN

Harry Ettlinger

Harry Ettlinger was born in Karlsruhe, Germany in January 1926. In 1938, the day after his Bar Mitzvah, Ettlinger and his family fled Germany for the U.S., where they settled in Newark, N.J. Six years later, Harry was drafted by the Army and returned to Europe as an infantryman in the 99th Division. Due to his fluency in German, he was pulled from his unit and re-designated as an interpreter. While awaiting assignment in Munich, Harry volunteered his services to work with the MFA&A section, aka “The Monuments Men.” In May 1945, Harry traveled to the Castle of Neuschwanstein to inspect thousands of priceless treasures that had been looted by the Nazis.

HISTORIAN

Robert Edsel

Robert M. Edsel is the author of the non-fiction books, Rescuing Da Vinci and The Monuments Men: Allied Heroes, Nazi Thieves and the Greatest Treasure Hunt in History. He is also the co-producer of the Emmy nominated documentary film, The Rape of Europa and the Founder and President of the Monuments Men Foundation for the Preservation of Art, a recipient of the National Humanities Medal. Mr. Edsel’s third book, Saving Italy, the story of two Monuments Men and their struggle to protect and save Italy’s greatest art treasures during World War II, will be published by WW Norton in Spring 2013. Robert Edsel lives in Dallas, Texas.

Watch Edsel's Mason Lecture about The Monuments Men, delivered at The National WWII Museum.

 

VIDEOS

Harry Ettlinger
Sergeant, US Army, Monuments, Fine Arts and Archives

GET MORE INFORMATION

Learn more about The National WWII Museum’s Travel program or download a pdf of our 2012 Travel brochure.