Silent Heroes of the Salzkammergut ("Stille Helden vom Salzkammergut")

In cooperation with the Ghent Church Council, the Province of Styria and the Austrian Cultural Forum (ÖKF) Brussels, the opening of the exhibition "Silent Heroes of the Salzkammergut" will take place in the Ghent Cathedral at 16:00 on 16 October 2018. This extraordinary exhibition will run until 2 December 2018.

It tells of the incredible, dramatic rescue of the Ghent Altarpiece (Lam Gods – the Mystic Lamb) from total destruction by Hitler's Nazi regime. A group of courageous Austrian miners averted the plan to destroy Lam Gods and other irreplaceable works of art – including Michelangelo's famous Bruges Madonna. To this day, these dramatic circumstances are known almost exclusively to historians.

The Austrian artist Oskar Stocker shows his "reflections" on the Ghent Altarpiece on an area of 288 square metres – these reflections also represent a provocation and exaggeration in direct comparison with the famous original.

In addition to these pictures, there will be a multilingual photo and historical video documentary, designed by the historian Monika Löscher. Cellist Friedrich Kleinhapl and the Astberger Alphornbläsern will provide musical accompaniment for the event.