In the end of the war, August Eigruber (Nazi officer) ordered to explode the Altaussee mine, where the Altarpiece panels - among many other looted masterpieces - were stocked. Bombs were sent to Altaussee, in boxes bearing the inscription "Vorsicht Marmor, Nicht stürzen": "Attention Marble, Do not overthrow".
Fortunately, the destruction was prevented and the artworks were saved. The local miners helped to discover the bombs and removed them from the mine. Without their intervention and the Monuments Men's (curators and professors), tens of thousands of priceless works of art would have been lost to the world forever.
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