Present Day at the Louvre Museum
A group of California high school students broke into spontaneous applause as their tour guide, Caroline Tanvier, finished the tale of the Mona Lisa’s return to her place of honor.
“So, did Eric and Gabi get married?” asked one of the teen girls.
Caroline smiled as she led her tour group out of the Salle des Etats, where the Mona Lisa welcomes thousands of visitors each day.
“Yes, they had the ceremony the following May at a fourteenth-century castle outside of Zurich. Very romantic.”
“Whatever happened to Reichsmarschall Göring?” asked another student.
“Even though an organization known as ODESSA smuggled Nazi war criminals to Latin America, Göring was never able to escape following the war. You see, Göring was the highest-ranking Nazi still alive after Germany’s surrender. When capture was inevitable, he made sure that he was taken prisoner by the Americans since he feared the Russians would kill him out of hand. He was tried at the Nuremburg Trials and sentenced to death by hanging. The Americans were reputed for not using enough rope at the gallows, so instead of their necks snapping after the trap door opened, several Nazi generals slowly strangled for many minutes before dying. Göring asked to be shot, but he was refused. Two hours before his execution, while on suicide watch in his cell, he bit into a cyanide capsule and died. How he was able to poison himself remains a great mystery, but he cheated the hangman’s noose.”
“What about all his art?” another student asked.
Caroline gathered herself for a moment. “In the closing months of World War II, with the Russians bearing down on Berlin, Göring knew he had to evacuate his beloved Carinhall. He ordered his art collection to be loaded onto a succession of private railway trains and delivered to Burg Veldenstein, another one of his properties deep in the Bavarian heartland. Then Göring dynamited Carinhall, and the country lodge burned to the ground.”
Gasps escaped the lips of the enthralled students who hung on her every word.
“As the Allies closed in on Burg Veldenstein, Göring’s trains reassembled and moved his art even farther from the front lines to Berchtesgaden, a small German town on the Austrian border. Göring was captured nearby, and his collection of paintings was secured and inventoried by the Allied Forces. More than 1,800 paintings were recovered, and his collection would be worth several hundred million dollars today.”
Caroline looked down at her watch. “Listen, we’re losing daylight, so we better keep moving. Next up, the Venus de Milo in the Sully Wing.”
A blonde-haired teen raised her hand. “How did you know this story?”
“Because . . .” Caroline paused. A smile tipped her lips. “Because Gabi and Eric were my grandparents.”
Looks of astonishment greeted her.
“Are your grandparents still alive?” asked another student.
“No, they are no longer with us. Eric passed away four years ago, and Gabi just last year.” Caroline paused for a moment, a bit overcome with emotion.
“Growing up, I always wondered why my grandmother liked to take us for long walks in the mountains overlooking Lucerne. Later, when she told me this story, I understood. I think those hikes were a reminder of her adventures and most important, of saving Kristina. She was most proud of that.”
“What became of Kristina?” another student asked.
“Well, she’s in her late seventies now and still lives at the Chateau de Dampierre with her son and his family. For many years, she would come to visit the Mona Lisa, right at closing. She was always allowed to have a private audience, just as Colette promised. I think that was her way of dealing with those awful events as a young girl.
“Kristina once described La Joconde’s smile as a knowing expression, like she understood her and the way she felt. In recent years, though, she wasn’t able to travel to the Louvre because of failing health, so the museum sent her the actual reproduction painted in 1932 by Gilles Simon—on loan of course—but for her to keep as long as she wished.
“I’m told the Mona Lisa still hangs over her bed today.”