Rare tapestry owned by Hitler is on its way back to Germany thanks to ‘Hunting Nazi Treasure’

A 16th century tapestry that was once owned by Hitler will soon be returned to Germany to hang in the Bavarian National Museum in Munich.

The piece was brought to the U.S. by a soldier after World War II, and hung in his family’s stairwell for decades; it was originally purchased for Hitler’s Eagle’s Nest from an art gallery owned by a Jewish family.

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Growing up Cathy Hinz and her five siblings would run up and down the stairs at their Minneapolis home, one hand on their banister, the other skimming the memento hanging on the wall.

The tapestry’s trip back to Germany began when Hinz gave it to the National World War II Museum in New Orleans. Enough was known about its past that Gordon Nick Mueller, president and CEO of the museum, and Robert Edsel, author of The New York Times#1 bestselling book-turned-movie The Monuments Men, knew it needed to be returned to Germany.

“The tapestry has been on a journey, and now it’s going home,” Hinz told The Associated Press.

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A detailed history of the object was captured as part of the new HISTORY series, Hunting Nazi Treasure. Beyond this tapestry, the show chronicles the search for precious objects stolen during WWII and the quest to return them to European countries.

It features a team of present-day investigators led by Edsel and detective work across four continents – from European towns and cities to the desert sands of North Africa, and across the ocean to North and South America.

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The series is still in production, and show-runners are looking for more loot to track down. If you have a tip, report it to the Monuments Men Foundation by visiting monumentsfoundation.org or calling 1.866.WWII-ART.

For more information on Hunting Nazi Treasure, which premieres on HISTORY Canada in 2017, please visit HISTORY.ca.

Watch the video above.

With files from The Associated Press