Prized 16th Century Painting Returned to Wroclaw

A prized painting by renowned artist Lukasz Cranach dating back to 1510 has been returned to Wroclaw after 70 years. Madonna among the Fir Trees had hung in the Cathedral of St. John since the 16th century, until it was taken away for safekeeping by Germans during the war (at this time Wroclaw was part of Germany and known as Breslau).

The painting eventually returned to Wroclaw, where it was held by the German priest Siegfried Zimmer in the Diocesan Museum. However, the priest, an amateur painter himself, skillfully made a copy of the painting and escaped with the original to Berlin. It wasn't until 1961 that the Wroclaw painting was discovered to be a fake.

After years of searching, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' Office for the Restitution of Cultural Goods found that the painting was in the hands of a Swiss art collector, who left it to the Diocese of St Gallen.

The original Cranach work has now been returned to its home in Wroclaw.