Allach (porcelain)
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Allach porcelain (pronounced 'alak') was produced in Germany between 1935 and 1945.
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[edit] History
Industrialist Franz Nagy had owned the land since 1925 that the Munich-Allach facility was built on. With his business partner, the porcelain painter Carl Diebitsch, he began the production of art porcelain. The porcelain factory Porzellan Manufaktur Allach was established as a private concern in 1935 in the small town of Allach, near Munich, Germany. In 1936 the factory was acquired by the SS. Heinrich Himmler, the leader of the SS who was known for his obsession with Aryan mysticism, saw the acquisition of a fine porcelain factory as a way to establish an industrial base for the production of works of art that would be representative, in Himmler's eyes, of truly Germanic culture. Allach porcelain was one of Himmler’s favorite projects and produced various figurines(soldiers, animals, etc.) to compete in the small but profitable German porcelain market.
High-ranking artists were locked into contract. The program of the factory included over 240 porcelain and ceramic models. As output at the Allach factory increased, the Nazis moved production to a new facility near the Dachau concentration camp. The fact that the factory might have been taking advantage of a pool of slave labor provided by the Dachau camp was strongly denied by the factory managers at the Nuremberg Trials.[1] Initially intended as a temporary facility, Dachau remained the main location for fine porcelain manufacture even after the original factory in Allach was modernized and reopened in 1940. The factory in Allach was instead retrofitted for the production of ceramic products such as household pottery.
Prof. Carl Diebitsch, was an Obersturmbannführer in the Waffen-ss, and Himmler’s personal referent on art. Prof. Theodor Karner was, besides Diebitsch, one of Germany’s most prestigious artists in porcelain arts. Karner also worked with the Meissen, Rosenthall, and Huschenreuther companies.
Allach was a sub-camp of Dachau near Munich, located approximately 10 miles from the main camp at Dachau. According to Marcus J. Smith, who wrote "Dachau: The Harrowing of Hell," the Allach camp was divided into two enclosures, one for 3,000 Jewish inmates and the other for 6,000 non-Jewish prisoners. Smith was a doctor in the US military, assigned to take over the care of the prisoners after the liberation. He wrote that the typhus epidemic had not reached Allach until April 22, 1945, about a week before the camp was liberated.[2]
Hitler unlike Himmler did not seem to care as much for Allach Porcelain. He is quoted as saying, “It’s like looking for ghosts in your attic. What culture can be found in a clay pot?”[3] about Himmler’s efforts at finding evidence about the ancient origins of the Germanic people. What he said could also show his true feelings about Allach Porcelain.
The fall of the Third Reich brought an end to the Allach concern. The Allach factories were shut down in 1945 and are widely believed to have never been reopened.
Franz Nagy may have started production again at the factory in Allach because some post-war stoneware pieces have been seen with an Allach mark that has the letter “N” standing for Nagy instead of the SS insignia. Theodor Karner also reused some of his Allach molds while he was working at Efchenbach in the US controlled zone of Germany.
[edit] Cultural significance
Even though the Allach enterprise had a sinister purpose of promoting the Himmler's personal vision of Germanic culture, its contribution to applied and fine arts has enormous significance. What makes Allach porcelain one of the world's finest is the famous German craftsmanship capable of producing artworks of unique artistic and manufacturing quality. Surprisingly, the majority of items produced at Allach as collectibles avoided imagery associated with the Nazi ideology. Peasants, historical figures and animals were the most common themes of Allach masterpieces. Today, Allach porcelain is among the most sought after by collectors, with some Allach porcelain figurines commanding a market price of tens of thousands of U.S. dollars.
[edit] The Allach Julleuchter
Allach porcelain made a variety of candle holders ranging from elaborate gilded baroque candelabras, to the most basic plain white porcelain single candle holder. Production numbers for most candleholders were above average for other Allach items, indicating popularity and interest among the German people. The varying styles and cost of the candleholders produced at Allach allowed most Germans of every class to own them. The Allach Julleuchter was unique in that it was made as presentation piece for SS officers to celebrate the winter solstice. It was later given to all SS members on the same occasion. Made of unglazed stoneware, the Julleuchter was decorated with early pagan Germanic symbols. Its common design is originally based on artifacts found at an archeological dig in/ around Haithabu (Hedeby), now belonging to Germany, and is attributed to the Frisians who once settled there. Himmler said, “I would have every family of a married SS man to be in possession of a Julleuchter. Even the wife will, when she has left the myths of the church find something else which her heart and mind can embrace.”[4] Production numbers in 1939 alone were a staggering 52,635, certainly a record for any single item produced at the Porzellan Manufaktur Allach.[5]
[edit] References
- ^ The Avalon Project : Nuremberg Trial Proceedings Vol. 13
- ^ Liberation of Allach, a Dachau sub-camp,http://www.scrapbookpages.com/Dachauscrapbook/DachauLiberation/Allach.html
- ^ “The Private Voice of Hitler”, program shown on the History Channel.
- ^ SS Porcelain Allach by Michael Passmore & Tony Oliver 1972
- ^ Candle Holders,http://www.allachporcelain.com/
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