Franz Kunstler Tribute

One of the last veterans of World War I has died in Germany aged 107. Romanian-born Franz Künstler, who served in the Austro-Hungarian army and fought on Germany's side, died after an operation on his intestine in the southern German town of Niederstetten.

Künstler had lived in Niederstetten since 1946 and worked as a guide in the hunting museum of Schloss Haltenbergstetten castle. He is believed to have been the last World War I veteran living in Germany.

The veterans of World War I, all well over 100 years old, are dying fast, with less than 15 survivors left in the world today. Their death marks a historical milestone as the conflict that shaped the 20th century recedes out of living human memory.

There are an estimated three World War I veterans left in the United States, one in Canada, three in Britain, three in Australian, one in Turkey and two in Italy.