God’s and beasts, that is what our world is made of
Erik Jan Hanussen awoke with a start. A wry smile crept over his weary, wrinkled face, as an intuitive feeling coursed through his frail old body. He had been waiting for this moment for over 40 years and had spent half of his life confined to the cellar of the Hansens’ cottage.
* * *
In 1945, along with Benno Von Arent, Erik had overseen the building of the underground bunker joined to the cottage. By using photographs and images taken after the Nazis had plundered the Russian treasure, Von Arent had meticulously arranged the contents, with temperature control systems installed to ensure the safety of the fragile art masterpieces. The gold and bejewelled items from the amber room were on the U-boat heading to Argentina, but the artwor
