I am trying to find period information in German propaganda materials about the interesting artifact known as the "Ręce Boga" funerary urn discovered in 1936 at Biała near Łodz, Poland. I have only found two images of the funerary urn.
The limited background information below I have compiled and translated from various Polish sources:
A Germanic funerary urn dating to Przeworsk culture of the III-IV century AD discovered in 1936 year at an archaeological site in Biała near Łodz, Poland (or Litzmannstadt as it was known under the German occupation) on which the so-called "Ręce Boga" or “Hands of God” symbol is scribed into the body of the vessel.
On April 1, 1940 the city of Łodz was renamed Litzmannstadt by the German occupation authorities and a double armed swastika design found on the "Ręce Boga" urn was used in new the German coat-of-arms of Litzmannstadt as part of their plan to destroy all Polish national symbols.
The "Ręce Boga" funerary urn was decorated with white-outlined geometric figures, images of people, riders, animals and symbolic characters in the shape of a swastika. This last element aroused greatest interest in the German propagandists who decided to use the "Ręce Boga" swastika symbology as affirmation of the Germanic history of the region. The swastika is a symbol that appears among many cultures from prehistoric times to the present day and to the Slavs the swastika is a symbol of fire and heat.
The "Ręce Boga" vessel was apparently popularised extensively with photos and drawings along with commentary in daily newspapers such as "Litzmannstadter Zeitung", scientific journals, postcards, posters and fundraising stamps in order to primarily confirm the origin of the Germanic lands incorporated into the Third Reich.
At the behest of municipal authorities in early 1945 a new mayoral chain was commissioned and consisted of a number of medallions, in which there were portraits of Adolf Hitler and General Litzmann, the coat of arms of the Third Reich, the Litzmann family crest and Brzezin coat of arms with the date 1914 to commemorate the Battle of Brzeziny, in which gen. Litzmann participated during World War I. The last design element of the chain was a navy blue and gold coat-of-arms featuring the swastika design with double arms. This mayoral chain is on display at the Museum of City History.
It is not known what happened to the historic "Ręce Boga" funerary urn after the German occupation administration evacuated Litzmannstadt - only a plaster copy exists today in Łódź museum.
The "Ręce Boga" or "Hands of God" funerary urn
- 4thskorpion
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- 4thskorpion
- Member
- Posts: 733
- Joined: 10 Nov 2009, 16:06
- Location: United Kingdom