Pillage and destruction of cultural property has always been a by- product of armed conflict. Yet no military power in history has equaled the Third Reich in its ability to use culture not merely as a trophy of war, but as a weapon of war: a means to dominate, demoralize and control the nations that it sought to conquer by stripping them of their cultural and spiritual identity.

Only through the systematic confiscation, theft, concealment, forced sale and destruction of millions of artistic, religious and historical works and monuments would Europe, in Hitler’s mind, become a suitable home for a tausend jahre reich with Berlin as its capital. Pulling the plug on this diabolical plan is one of the great stories of modern time, brilliantly recounted by Lynn Nicholas in her 1994 book The Rape of Europa, which has been updated and adapted for the screen with remarkable never-before-seen footage by the writer- director-producer team of Bonny Cohen, Richard Berge and Nicolle Newnham.

Truly a “must see” documentary, The Rape of Europa reveals the heroism and tenacity of those who risked their lives to save what others could only covet, control or destroy, and continue to undo the damage caused by the German war machine more than 50 years later.

Read the full review on the new SAFE blog SAFECORNER: http://safecorner.savingantiquities.org