The career of Konrad Kujau culminated in 1983 with the creation of the so-called Hitler Diaries, a massive deception that netted DM 2.5 million from journalist Gerd Heidemann. Born in Löbau in 1938, Kujau spent decades operating on the margins of legality before achieving notoriety as a prolific painter, art forger, and counterfeiter within the German memorabilia market.
Early Life and Criminal Activity
Growing up in poverty, Kujau maintained an affinity for Nazi ideology after 1945. His early adulthood involved menial labor and repeated brushes with the law. Between 1957 and 1968, he faced multiple arrests for theft, including tobacco, cognac, and fruit, eventually serving time in Stuttgart’s Stammheim Prison. During this period, he frequently operated under aliases, including the name Peter Fischer, while attempting various business ventures like a dance bar and a cleaning company.
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By 1970, Kujau began exploiting the black market for Nazi-era items, smuggling artifacts from East Germany to sell to collectors in the West. He rented a shop in 1974, which served as both a commercial outlet and a social venue. To increase his profit margins, he started creating fraudulent authentication documents for genuine items, such as First World War helmets, claiming they were owned by high-ranking Nazi officials like Hermann Göring or Joseph Goebbels.
Artistic Forgeries and Deception
Kujau utilized his skills as an amateur painter to produce works he falsely attributed to Adolf Hitler. Despite his forgeries often containing historical inaccuracies, grammatical errors, and crude techniques—such as using aged modern stationery—the market for his output remained lucrative. His confidence grew to the point of transcribing volumes of Mein Kampf and inventing elaborate backstories about sources in East Germany to justify his seemingly endless supply of rare historical documents.
The Hitler Diaries Scandal
The fabrication of the Hitler Diaries became the focal point of Kujau's deceptive career. After Gerd Heidemann purchased the journals for DM 2.5 million, the journalist sold them to the magazine Stern for DM 9.3 million. When the fraud was uncovered, the subsequent investigation and legal proceedings led to a four-and-a-half-year prison sentence for Kujau. He died in Stuttgart in 2000.
Fast facts
- Born: 1938, Löbau
- Died: 2000, Stuttgart
- Nationality: German
- Primary Occupations: Painter, art forger, counterfeiter
- Notorious work: Hitler Diaries
- Prison sentence: 4.5 years for the diaries forgery
Questions readers ask
How did Kujau source his forged documents?
He used modern stationery aged with tea, Letraset for letterheads, and invented fictional sources such as museum directors and former Nazi generals.
What happened to the proceeds from the Hitler Diaries?
Kujau received DM 2.5 million from Gerd Heidemann, while Heidemann realized a net profit of DM 6.8 million after selling the materials to Stern magazine.
Achievements
- Notable work: Hitler Diaries
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