Schloss Fuschl

About three kilometers east Hof bei Salzburg in western Austria, there is a hunting castle dating back to the 1400s beautifully situated on the shore next to Lake Fuschl. The castle was confiscated by the Nazis in 1939 and the same year the castle was handed over to Hitler’s foreign minister, Joachim von Ribbentrop, for him, his family, staff and servants. The castle was also at a suitable distance from Hitler’s residence in Berchtesgaden (about thirty kilometres away) if the chief called. The castle was decorated with all sorts of luxuries and here Ribbentrop could relax but also receive both official and unofficial visits.For instance, in August 1939, Italy’s foreign minister, Count Ciano, came to the castle to discuss the impending German invasion of Poland.

Ribbentrop had replaced Konstantin von Neurath as foreign minister in 1938 and was a glistening yes-man in Hitler’s immediate circle. He was extremely detested by others in the inner circle but was kept under Hitler’s wings which made him unassailable. After the outbreak of war in 1939, his role as foreign minister was reduced in importance, but as foreign minister he also bore a responsibility that Jews from occupied countries could be deported to eastern Europe where most were murdered. After the war, he was one of 22 high-ranking Nazis who were brought to justice in Nuremberg. He was found guilty of all four charges, sentenced to death and hanged on October 16, 1946.