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Germany's National Museum has requested the return of an ancient Roman sculpture that Adolf Hitler purchased and later returned to Italy.

"The German government legally purchased it at the time... ownership belongs to Germany," they claim

The sculpture "Discobolus" displayed at the National Roman Museum.
[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

According to the Italian daily Corriere della Sera on the 4th (local time), the National Gallery in Munich, Germany, recently requested the return of the "Discobolus" sculpture from the National Roman Museum but was refused.

Hitler was captivated by this sculpture when he visited Rome in 1937. The following year, Hitler purchased the piece for 5 million lire (currently valued at 15 million euros, approximately 21.2 billion KRW), and subsequently displayed it at the National Gallery in Munich.

However, after the defeat of the Nazis in World War II, the sculpture was returned to Italy in 1948.

This controversy began when the National Roman Museum requested the National Gallery in Munich to return the marble pedestal of the sculpture. The National Gallery in Munich refused and instead requested the return of the sculpture itself.

Foreign media reported that the National Gallery in Munich justified its return request by stating, "At the time, the German government legally purchased the sculpture with permission from Italian authorities, so ownership belongs to Germany."

Italian Minister strongly opposes, "Not even if I die"... "Hope the German government is unaware of this request"

Adolf Hitler, the dictator of the Nazi regime in Germany.

The Italian government strongly opposed the request.

Gennaro Sangiuliano, Minister of Culture, emphasized, "Not even if I die will this happen," adding, "This piece is a national treasure and must absolutely remain in Italy." However, Minister Sangiuliano appeared to refrain from blaming the German government to prevent the controversy from escalating into a diplomatic issue between Italy and Germany.

He added, "I believe the German government knows nothing about this request," and "Claudia Roth, the German Minister of Culture, and I have a very close relationship."

Meanwhile, the "Discobolus," also called "Discobolus Palombara" following the original Greek name, was originally a bronze statue created by the Greek sculptor Myron around 450?440 BC.

The original has not survived, and currently only two marble copies made in the 2nd century AD during the Roman era remain. These two pieces are held by the British Museum and the National Roman Museum, respectively.