Nazi gold

Gold looted by Nazi Germany from occupied countries, victims, and other sources during World War II, including gold transferred to neutral countries.

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Reichsbank: Germany’s central bank from 1876 to 1945, which handled state finances and Nazi-era looted assets. The bank received and processed gold seized by Nazi authorities.
SS: The Nazi paramilitary organization that controlled policing, intelligence, and concentration camps. The SS collected valuables from victims and transferred them into Reichsbank custody.
Portuguese tungsten trade: Portugal’s wartime export of tungsten, a strategic metal, to both Allied and Axis countries. Germany used gold payments in trade with neutral Portugal, prompting Allied pressure over the transactions.
Washington Agreement on German External Debts: A 1953 agreement that restructured and postponed settlement of Germany’s external debts. The agreement addressed claims connected to wartime German assets and postwar recovery.
Occupation of Europe during World War II: The military control of European territories by Axis powers during World War II. Occupation gave Nazi Germany access to national reserves and private property.
Gold bar: A refined block of gold made to a specified weight and purity for storage or trade. Looted coins and jewelry could be melted and recast as bars to obscure their origins.
Operation Safehaven: A U.S.-led wartime and postwar effort to locate and block German assets outside Germany. It targeted Nazi assets and financial networks in neutral countries.
Holocaust restitution: Efforts to return or compensate for property stolen from Jews during the Holocaust. The recovery of victims’ gold became one part of broader restitution claims.
Aryanization: The forced transfer of Jewish-owned businesses and property to non-Jewish owners under Nazi rule. Confiscation of Jewish property formed part of the wider extraction behind Nazi assets.
Swiss National Bank: Switzerland’s central bank, responsible for monetary policy and management of official reserves. It bought gold from the Reichsbank during the war, including gold later identified as looted.