German Badge – Rochlitz Festival 1936
$65.00
1 in stock
Description
Measuring approximately 4.5cm x 4.5cm. Hand painted metal.
German Third Reich era souvenier badge from 1936 Heimatfest 21st June 1936. The town of Rochlitz is in Saxony Region, Germany and the badge depicts the town coat of arms. Rochlitz has a long history dating back to the 1200’s. The NSDAP Party established themselves in the town council and in 1934 they deposed the non-partisan mayor with political intrigue. On the initiative of the President of the local historical society, Albert Bernstein, celebrations were held in Rochlitz in 1936, in honour of the 1000th anniversary of German control of the Rochlitz area. This badge was a souvenier of those commemorations. The town attracted many tourists for the festivities.
During WWII a subcamp of Flossenburg Concentration camp was located in the town from September 1944 – March 1945. It held approximately 600 Jewish women who worked for the Mechanik GmbH manufacturing for the war effort. The Americans liberated Rochlitz on 14th April, 1945, with the town later being handed over to the Russians. Rochlitz fell under Soviet control as part of former East Germany until re-unification with Germany in the early 1990’s.
