Many of the mine chambers at Alt Aussee that existed during the war are no longer accessible. However, in the Steinberg mine one chamber that can be visited today is called the Mineral Cabinet (Mineral Kabinett). It was in this chamber that Allied soldiers discovered the magnificent Ghent Altarpiece, painted by Jan van Eyck in 1432. The chamber has since been converted into a small auditorium with wooden benches and a projection screen used for a short film about the mine’s history. Against the walls are small mineral cabinets which contain particularly interesting salt specimens found during mining operations.

In this historic photograph an unidentified GI stands guard at the entrance to the Mineral Cabinet chamber next to the lid of one of the crates which contained a panel from the Ghent Altarpiece. “St. Baafs” refers to the home of the altarpiece, St. Bavo’s Cathedral in Ghent, Belgium. Can you help us identify this soldier?

Monuments officer Lt. Cdr. Stout and others prepare to crate the central panel of the Ghent Altarpiece prior to its removal from the mine chamber.