An Austrian man who fled the Nazis with his family during World War II has left a "large amount" of his fortune to the picturesque French village which helped hide them from persecution for years.

Before he died on December 25, aged 90, Eric Schwam wrote the surprise gift into his will for Chambon-sur-Lignon, a remote commune in southeast France that historically has a large Protestant community known for offering shelter to those in need.

"It's a large amount for the village," said mayor Jean-Michel Eyraud.

The total amount that the village will inherit has not yet been specified, but the mayor's predecessor told a local website that she met with Schwam and his wife twice to discuss the gift, saying it was around $2.4 million.

Eyraud said Schwam had requested the money be used for educational and youth initiatives, in particular scholarships.

READ MORE:

COVID-19: The latest from Europe

Lions leave cash starved zoo

Who should get vaccines first?

Schwam and his family arrived in 1943 and were hidden in a school for the duration of the war, and remained until 1950. He later studied pharmacy and married a Catholic woman from the region near Lyon, where they lived.

But Schwam's family were not the only ones sheltered by the village of Chambon-sur-Lignon. Around 2,500 Jewish people were taken in and protected during World War II by the village residents, who were honored as "Righteous Among the Nations" by Israel's Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial center.

The village has long maintained its welcoming tradition, and over the centuries has taken in a wide range of people fleeing religious or political persecution. 

From priests driven into hiding during the French Revolution to Spanish republicans during the civil war of the 1930s, Chambon-sur-Lignon residents opened their doors to anyone in need. 

More recently, the village has also helped migrants and refugees from the Middle East and Africa find safety.