Munich Central Collecting Point

The Munich Central Collecting Point was a depot used by the Monuments, Fine Arts, and Archives program after the end of the Second World War to process, photograph and redistribute artwork and cultural artifacts that had been confiscated by the Nazis and hidden throughout Germany and Austria.

[1] Other Central Collecting Points were located at Marburg, Wiesbaden and Offenbach, with the overall aim of giving restitution for the artifacts to their countries of origin.

[1] Lieutenant Craig Hugh Smyth was responsible for establishing the Munich Central Collecting Point in July 1945, converting former Nazi Party offices into a depot complete with photography studios and conservation labs.

[1] In 2016 investigative journalists at Suddeutsche Zeitung reported that Commission for Looted Art in Europe (CLAE), had discovered that "The Monuments Men tracked down Nazi looted art.

"[3] Archives of materials relating to the Munich Central Collecting Point are located in two repositories in the USA.