9 - 20th-Century German Draftsman, ,Regensburg: The Blasted Adolf-Hitler Bridge (today the Nibelungen Bridge), 1945, ink-and-wash pen-and-ink drawing on handmade paper, inscribed “Regensburg” in the lower right corner, dated “July 17, 1945,” and monogrammed “EZ” (stamped), 24.5 x 34 cm, mounted on backing board and set under glass and a mat in a white anodized aluminum frame, overall size: 44 x 44 cm. Limited edition of 162

20th-Century German Draftsman, ,Regensburg: The Blasted Adolf-Hitler Bridge (today the Nibelungen Bridge), 1945, ink-and-wash pen-and-ink drawing on handmade paper, inscribed “Regensburg” in the lower right corner, dated “July 17, 1945,” and monogrammed “EZ” (stamped), 24.5 x 34 cm, mounted on backing board and set under glass and a mat in a white anodized aluminum frame, overall size: 44 x 44 cm. Limited edition of 162 After World War II, many artists were commissioned by the local administration or the U.S. military government in the American occupation zone to document the state of the destroyed infrastructure—such as the blown-up bridges and harbor facilities of Regensburg’s West Harbor, as seen here—through drawings and other forms of documentation. The view shows the Adolf-Hitler Bridge—now known as the Nibelungen Bridge—as well as the temporary structures and port facilities at Regensburg’s West Harbor following their destruction on April 23, 1945. On that day, the Wehrmacht blew up nearly all of the city’s river crossings to halt the Allied advance as part of a “scorched earth” strategy. Bernhard Focht, a native of Regensburg, added this precise architectural drawing to his collection as a memento of the hometown where he spent the first 10 years of his life.