699:… We traveled mostly by foot, occasionally riding a tank as we went. One of our first experiences of interest was capturing a German town near a mine that they used to hide gold and valuable paintings that the Nazis had stolen from other countries. Our assignment was to guard this area until the valuables could be moved out. The valuables were hidden in a salt mine approximately 2000 feet underground. As the Germans mined the salt it had made rooms that were used to hide and store the valuables. We got there before they sealed the doorways to these rooms. They had planned on hiding this to keep it from being captured. To get down into these mines we had to have a German operate the electric elevator. We used these elevators to remove the gold and paintings which were loaded onto trucks. At the top of the mine were stored hundreds of heavy woollen coats. They allowed us to have what we wanted to mail home. I took two. I had a truck driver take mine back where he could send them home for me. They arrived home and I still have one of them."
590:
676:, and then run unexpectedly into fierce and determined resistance, again from Hitler Youth and SS troops, in the Town of Vitzeroda. C company lost six men killed and about 30 wounded… While the 357th was heavily engaged in Vitzeroda and other nearby villages, the 358th, to our south had followed a main road eastward over the Werra, taking Vacha and Merkers. We, in the 357th, were laboring over small country roads and paths, taking village after village, many of which had names with the syllable “roda” which we later learned meant “mine.” Thus, “Vitzeroda” and “Gosperoda”.
684:“The famed Salt Mine of Merkers was cleared early on the 4th (of April) by a patrol of Co. I. All the Battalion knew at the time, however, was that the mine contained some German equipment and money. This much the troops knew from the slave laborers as they passed through. It was not until days later that Division MPs discovered the mine contained the largest treasure hoard ever found. Everyone in Co I is still sorry they did not have more time to spare in Merkers. From here the Battalion pushed rapidly forward, clearing the resort town of
78:
110:
49:
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85:
650:
and
Oberzella and Merkers. One regiment was detailed to guard the treasure at Merkers, and the rest of the Division pushed ahead. All roads were lined with liberated slave laborers, some walking aimlessly, becoming slowly accustomed to their freedom, some walking determinedly, burdened by huge packs,
768:
Possibly these were some of the woolen coats and sheepskin greatcoats kept in the mines. Later the coats were used to protect the paintings for shipment. According to Ronald H. Bailey (2007): “And to cushion the sculpture and paintings for shipment, they improvised packing material from sheepskin
641:
River on April 2nd (1945), crossed immediately, and discovered that there, in a last desperate effort, the enemy had erected a line beyond which the
Americans were not to advance. Ignorant of the German determination to hold at all costs, however, the 90th advanced, smashed the line, and moved
908:
File 105, Special Report on
Discovery and Disposition of German Gold, Numeric-Subject Operations File 1943-July 1945, Historical Section, Information Branch, General Staff, G-5 Division, SHAEF, Records of Allied Operational and Occupation Headquarters, World War II, RG 331,
898:
File 390-INFANTRY(358)-0.3 "A/A Report-358th
Infantry Regiment Mar-May 45," World War II Operations Reports, Records of the Adjutant General's Office, 1917-, Record Group 407, National Archives at College Park, MD (hereinafter cited as RG,
769:
greatcoats tailored for the German invasion of Russia but never delivered to the freezing troops driving toward Moscow in cotton summer uniforms. The coats had been discovered at a salt mine in
Merkers along with 100 tons of gold, 27
651:
with their eyes firmly fixed on the road leading to home. Allied prisoners of war were liberated in increasingly large numbers: American, British, Canadian, French and
Russians. The German Army was dissolving into a hodge-podge of
793:
ThĂĽringer
Verordnung über die Auflösung und Zusammenlegung der Gemeinden Kieselbach und Merkers vom 20. Januar 1994 (GVBl S. 234), a) § 5 geändert durch Verordnung vom 6. April 1994 (GVBl. S. 410)
902:
Col. B. Bernstein to Brig. Gen. F. J. McSherry, Report of developments in removal of
Treasure from Kaiseroda at Merkers, Germany, Apr. 18, 1945 (hereinafter cited as "Bernstein Report")
384:
715:
905:
File SHAEF/G-5/1/13, Financial-Germany-Discoveries of Gold and Other
Valuables, Numeric File, August 1943-July 1945, Secretariat, G-5 Division, General Staff, SHAEF
672:, and then on via a two lane road to positions just west of the Werra River… Earlier in the day our rifle companies had crossed the Werra and captured the town of
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Merkers-Kieselbach was formed in 1994 by merging the two village councils. but didn't last long, as in 2013 it too merged with the neighbouring
Dorndorf forming
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Busterud, John A., 2001. Below the Salt: How the fighting 90th Division Struck Gold and Art Treasure in a Salt Mine. Pages 105-106.
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848:"Kommunalwahlen in Thüringen am 7. Juni 2009. Wahlen der Gemeinde- und Stadtratsmitglieder. Vorläufige Ergebnisse"
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himself went into the mine in April 1945 in order to examine the find. The area is now a visitor attraction, the
663:. As usual, resistance was encountered at only infrequent intervals, and as usual, it was quickly overwhelmed.”
810:
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714:- This was built in 1563, though the oldest of its three bronze bells dates from 1462 probably coming the
804:"Entwurf des Thüringer Gesetzes zur freiwilligen Neugliederung kreisangehöriger Gemeinden im Jahr 2013"
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420:, the castle symbolises the Krayenburg Crossed miners hammers and a green hill are included.
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416:. The "Wellenbalken or silver fess wavy" with "Kieseln- golden stones" symbolises the word
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Kieselbach was first mentioned 1155 in a deed from Kloster Hersfeld, and Merkers in 1308.
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in both communities. Vier-Seiten-Hof- in Kieselbach is the oldest and still inhabited.
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Merkers was captured by the advancing Third Army in the spring of 1945.
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The ceremonial coat-of arms of the authority was designed in 1994 by the
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743:- There is small museum in the family home of the Rhönlied-Dichters,
691:"…our assigned unit, Company A of the 357th Infantry Regiment of the
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Data source: ThĂĽringer Landesamt fĂĽr Statistik - Taken on 31 December
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A History of the 90th Division in World War II. Pages 78-79.
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and securing a bridgehead over the Werra river before dark."
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The last Merkers-Kieselbach chamber had 16 elected members:
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668:“…The next morning we headed out in motorized column for
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and other treasures from the 15 state museums of Berlin.”
355:. Since 31 December 2013, it is part of the municipality
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The Merkers area of the municipality is famous for its
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Colby, John, 1991, War from the Ground Up. Page 452.
837:- Arbeitsgemeinschaft Genealogie e.V.(Herausgeber).
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Merkers-Kieselbach lies on either side of the River
16:
Ortsteil of Krayenberggemeinde in Thuringia, Germany
890:Chappell, Kenard Dean. Memoir (Typescrpt). Page 4.
937:
573:, (independent) taking 91% of the popular vote.
920:Swiss gold holdings and transactions during WW2
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703:
116:
84:
659:, highly disorganized veterans and a few
559:Data source: Kommunalwahl am 7 June 2009.
853:. Der Landeswahlleiter. 6 February 2010.
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925:Report of the Swiss Bergier Commission
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379:hills. It contains the settlements of
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680:Battle History, 3rd Bn., 358th lnf:
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931:Nazi Gold: The Merkers Mine Treasure
609:works of art were discovered by the
228:19.43 km (7.50 sq mi)
585:Nazi treasures in Merkers Salt Mine
13:
946:Former municipalities in Thuringia
593:Eisenhower inspects stolen artwork
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711:Wehrkirche im Ortsteil Kieselbach
646:was taken with stiff opposition,
569:The last elected BĂĽrgermeister,
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64:Location of Merkers-Kieselbach
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565:Last elected BĂĽrgermeister
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236:250 m (820 ft)
704:Culture and attractions
619:Merkers Adventure Mines
257:150/km (390/sq mi)
693:90th Infantry Division
594:
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527:FWG Merkers-Kieselbach
592:
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424:Population statistics
280: • Summer (
131:Show map of Thuringia
835:ThĂĽringer Wappenbuch
615:Dwight D. Eisenhower
323:Vehicle registration
254: • Density
124:Merkers-Kieselbach
92:Merkers-Kieselbach
24:Merkers-Kieselbach
741:"Andreas-Fack-Haus"
156: /
99:Show map of Germany
851:(PDF; 1,9 MB)
625:Capture of Merkers
611:United States Army
595:
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404:Krayenberggemeinde
357:Krayenberggemeinde
334:Merkers-Kieselbach
246: • Total
225: • Total
214:Krayenberggemeinde
37:Krayenberggemeinde
613:in 1945. General
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160:50.817°N 10.117°E
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141:Coordinates:
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818:. Retrieved
811:the original
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745:Andreas Fack
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735:Heimatmuseum
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670:Bad Hersfeld
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577:World War II
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518:Last Council
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338:municipality
336:is a former
333:
332:
301:Postal codes
210:Municipality
53:Coat of arms
605:, and many
541:: 4 members
535:: 5 members
529:: 5 members
428:Population
414:Uwe Reipert
163: /
820:2015-01-14
781:References
771:Rembrandts
751:References
553:: 1 member
547:: 1 member
502:2012: 2895
495:2011: 2977
492:2010: 3042
489:2009: 3059
486:2008: 3098
483:2007: 3118
480:2006: 3171
473:2005: 3167
470:2004: 3190
467:2003: 3285
464:2002: 3349
461:2001: 3375
458:2000: 3425
451:1999: 3458
448:1998: 3493
445:1997: 3553
442:1996: 3623
439:1995: 3710
436:1994: 3706
418:Kieselbach
385:Kieselbach
241:Population
927:1997-2002
756:Footnotes
721:Historic
653:Volksturm
642:forward.
603:Nazi gold
599:salt mine
371:near the
363:Geography
349:Thuringia
289:UTC+02:00
268:UTC+01:00
263:Time zone
233:Elevation
192:Thuringia
940:Category
733:- is an
345:district
199:District
33:Ortsteil
674:Dippach
648:Dippach
395:History
381:Merkers
353:Germany
340:in the
180:Germany
176:Country
148:50°49′N
899:NACP).
633:“…the
607:stolen
151:10°7′E
909:NACP.
814:(PDF)
807:(PDF)
644:Vacha
639:Werra
551:GRĂśNE
539:LINKE
369:Werra
306:36460
249:2,895
187:State
387:and
377:Rhön
375:and
293:CEST
220:Area
545:SPD
533:CDU
347:of
327:WAK
282:DST
272:CET
35:of
942::
661:SS
655:,
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Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
