History Teacher Discovers Nazi Artifacts Behind Plasterboard in Germany

In late July 2021, history teacher Sebastian Yurtseven discovered a cache of Nazi-era artifacts while renovating his aunt's house in Hagen, Germany, following severe flooding. The find included a portrait of Adolf Hitler, a 1945 newspaper, a revolver, gas masks, medals with eagles and swastikas, brass knuckles with spike-like protrusions, and piles of documents. Archivist Andreas Korthals of the Stadtarchiv Hagen believes the items were hastily hidden as American troops approached in April 1945. The house likely served as a local office of the Nationalsozialistische Volkswohlfahrt (NSV), a Nazi welfare organization with about 17 million members that aimed to replace charities like the Red Cross and spread Nazi ideology through social work. Twelve boxes of material were recovered for sorting and study. Ralf Blank, director of the Hagen archive, called it an incredible discovery valuable for understanding local Nazi operations. The documents include sensitive data on residents, such as the number of pregnant women in the region.