Emmy Göring: Nazi “First Lady” Who Lived on Looted Art and War Crimes

Emmy Göring, the so-called “First Lady of the Third Reich” and wife of Hermann Göring, lived a life of luxury built on looted art and Nazi war crimes. Emmy Göring lived a life built on privilege, power, and plunder—rising from a modest actress to the woman the Nazi regime presented as the “First Lady of the Third Reich.” Born Emma Johanna Henny Sonnemann in 1893 into a wealthy Hamburg family, she trained as a stage performer and performed across major German theaters. Her life changed in 1932 when she met Hermann Göring, Hitler’s closest ally and the future head of the Luftwaffe. After their lavish wedding in 1935—attended by Hitler as best man and accompanied by fighter aircraft salutes—Emmy became one of the most visible women in Nazi Germany. Their daughter, Edda, born in 1938 with Hitler as godfather, strengthened her prominence within the regime. As her husband oversaw the persecution of Jews, the looting of Europe, and the destruction of entire countries, Emmy lived in immense luxury. At Carinhall, Göring’s vast estate, she enjoyed palatial rooms, servants, rare animals, and art stolen from Jewish families across occupied Europe. The Grand Gallery showcased masterpieces looted under the direction of the Einsatzstab Rosenberg, with Göring hand-selecting treasures from warehouses such as Paris’s Jeu de Paume. Emmy benefitted directly from this theft, decorating her homes with stolen paintings, tapestries, and antiques worth hundreds of millions in today’s currency. Within Hitler’s inner circle, Emmy cultivated a public persona as the Reich’s elegant hostess—yet behind the scenes she feuded bitterly with Eva Braun, whom she snubbed and mocked despite Hitler’s warnings. She embraced Nazi ideology, adored her husband, and never questioned his crimes. Even after the war, she defended him passionately, praising his performance at the Nuremberg Trials and condemning Germans who distanced themselves from Hitler. After Germany’s defeat, Emmy’s world collapsed. Arrested twice, placed in internment camps with her young daughter, and convicted by a denazification court, she lost property, status, and access to the stage. Reduced to living in a small Munich flat, she spent her final years in poverty, chronic pain, and nostalgia for a world built on theft and murder. She died in 1973, unrepentant to the end.This episode is part of the series Nazi Wives and Companions.Watch the full documentary and explore hundreds of historical films at:WorldHistory.tv