German National Prize for Art and Science

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The German National Prize for Art and Science was an honorary award and the highest peace award of the National Socialist German Reich . It was donated by Adolf Hitler in 1937 and was intended to replace the Nobel Prize , which Hitler forbade "for all future Germans" to accept in response to Carl von Ossietzky being awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1936. The prize was only awarded in 1937 and 1938.

Breast star of the German National Prize for Art and Science.

General

In November 1931, the journalist Carl von Ossietzky was sentenced to 18 months in prison by the Reichsgericht for treason in the sensational Weltbühne trial because he discovered that the Reichswehr was secretly building an air force, contrary to the provisions of the Versailles Peace Treaty . Reich President Paul von Hindenburg rejected a request for clemency . In February 1933, the committed pacifist and democrat was interned again by the National Socialists and taken to a concentration camp .

On June 25, 1936, the Nobel Prize Committee of the Norwegian Parliament awarded the still imprisoned Ossietzky the Nobel Peace Prize . The Reich government protested against the decision; on November 26, she expressed her "extreme disconcertment" about this and declared that she would "reserve all conclusions from the incident".

On January 30, 1937, Adolf Hitler finally donated the German National Prize for Art and Science:

“In order to prevent shameful processes for all future, I have the foundation of a German National Prize for Art and Science as of today. This national prize will be distributed annually to three well-deserved Germans in the amount of 100,000 Reichsmarks each . The acceptance of the Nobel Prize is forbidden for all future Germans. [...] "

The implementing regulations were issued by Propaganda Minister Joseph Goebbels . The award was to take place annually in a solemn act at the Nazi Party Congress of the NSDAP . The Reich Propaganda Leader, in agreement with the Reich Organization Leader Robert Ley, was responsible for organizing and carrying out the ceremony .

Details of the award

In addition to the actual decoration of the order , the breast star, the award included a splendid sash with a clasp , an elaborately crafted order box with gold-plated eagle-shaped corner fittings and a certificate folder made of terra-brown grained leather. On December 7, 1937, Goebbels noted: “Certificates for the National Prize are ready. Turned out very well. Mrs. Troost shows them. Masterpiece!"

Various templates of the breast star were made, among others by Richard Klein and Herbert Zeitner , but these were rejected by Hitler, possibly because the symbolic content of the terms “art” and “science” was too weak for him. The final version of the decoration is based on a design by the sculptor Hermann Müller .

The cast and polished star body has a diameter of 95 mm and is made of platinum. Four 20 × 22 mm eagles made of 18- carat gold have been placed on top . The medallion shows the left-facing head of Pallas Athene on a red enamelled background . The writing ring bears the hand-sawn and polished circumferential purpose inscription on an ivory-colored enamelled background: " " and is surrounded by a medallion ring set with 40 8/8 cut diamonds with a facetted table. To give the diamonds light, the medallion ring is segmented open to the rear. The total weight of the decoration is 205.0 (1937) or 210.47 (1938) grams, depending on the version. Goebbels noted on December 15th: “The order for the national prize is now ready. The Führer is enthusiastic about it. " FÜR * KUNST * UND * WISSENSCHAFT

The jeweler Wilhelm Hülse in Berlin was entrusted with the execution. The relatively unknown jeweler was commissioned either by Goebbels himself or by one of his departments.

On the occasion of the “ First German Architecture and Crafts Exhibition ” from January 22 to April 18, 1938 in Munich, the copy by Paul Ludwig Troost was exhibited in the House of German Art . On behalf of Heinrich Doehle , photos were taken of it for the presidential office , which he used as a template for his publications on religious orders.

symbolism

Pallas Athene is considered in Greek mythology to be the virgin goddess of wisdom, arts and sciences, patroness of cities and patroness of handicrafts. The eagle on the agraffe, box and breast star is that of the empire, so it looks to the heraldic right, to its right wing - the party eagle looked to the heraldic left - and carries a swastika in its claws. The eagle is freely designed and does not correspond to any of the common types of state or party. At the conference of the Reichsfilmkammer in 1935 in the Berlin Schillertheater , such a large-format eagle was attached to the front wall of the ballroom, which indicates that the form was specified by the Propaganda Ministry.

Proposals and awards

Section 2 of the Implementation Regulations governed the authorization to make proposals:

"The proposals for the award of the German National Prize for Art and Science are made in the field of art by the presidents of the individual chambers within the Reich Chamber of Culture and in the field of science by the Reich and Prussian ministers for science, education and popular education ."

The following were also eligible to make proposals:

The proposals were submitted on July 1st of each year. Adolf Hitler personally decided on the final award.

The list of suggestions of August 31, 1937 contained 26 names:

Surname annotation Suggested by, proposed by:
Adolf Bartels Literature professor, “Fighter for cleanliness in German literature”. Baldur von Schirach
Carl Bosch Chemist, chairman of IG Farben , Nobel Prize winner 1931. Hermann Goering
Hermann Burte Literary pseudonym of the ethnic writer Hermann Strübe . Goering
Ludwig Dürr Zeppelin constructor. The idea of ​​the dirigible airship should be honored. Goering
Edwin Erich Dwinger Writer, member of the Reich Culture Senate. Goering
Wilhelm Filchner Major a. D., explorer, leader of the 2nd German south polar expedition. Goering
Franz Fischer Chemist, developer of the Fischer-Tropsch synthesis for the artificial production of fuels. Goering
Leo Frobenius Ethnologist, founder of culture theory . Goering
Wilhelm Furtwängler General music director, conductor of the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra . Goering
Fritz Hoffmann Chemist, director of the Silesian Coal Research Institute of the Kaiser Wilhelm Institute for Coal Research in Breslau. Pioneer in the field of rubber synthesis. Goering
Hanns Johst President of the Reichsschrifttumskammer , employee of the Völkischer Beobachter . Heinrich Himmler
Eberhard Wolfgang Möller Writer, speaker at the Ministry of Propaganda. from Schirach
Hans Pfitzner General music director, opera composer, member of the Reich Culture Senate. from Schirach
Ludwig Prandtl Physicist, university professor, full professor at the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences in Göttingen. Basic research on fluid mechanics and developer of boundary layer theory . Bernhard Rust
Alfred Rosenberg Reichsleiter, representative for the entire ideological education in the NSDAP, head of the foreign policy office of the NSDAP, author of The Myth of the 20th Century . Rust
Ernst Sagebiel Architect, Ministerialrat in the Reich Ministry of Aviation , builder of the Reich Ministry of Aviation, planner of the Munich and Stuttgart airports. Goering
Ferdinand Sauerbruch Surgeon, Prussian State Councilor , Director of the Charité University Surgical Clinic . Pioneer in the development of muscle-controlled prostheses. Goering
Albert Speer Architect and creator of numerous buildings from the Third Reich, member of the Reich Culture Senate and general building inspector of the Reich capital. Goering
Hermann Stegemann Publicist, “champion of a national Germany against the victorious dictatorship of Versailles”. Goering
Hermann Stehr Poet and "literary leader of the Silesian peasantry", member of the Imperial Culture Senate. Goering
Emil Strauss Poet and narrator, member of the Reich Culture Senate. Goering
Gustav Tammann Chemist, director of the physical-chemical institute in Göttingen, pioneer of metallurgy in the development of large-scale industrial processes. Goering
Josef Thorak Sculptor, creator of numerous busts and monumental monuments (Hindenburg, Hitler, Mussolini, Ataturk, Piłsudski, Shah of Persia etc.). Philipp Bouhler
Paul Ludwig Troost Architect, his neoclassical style shaped the architecture of the Third Reich. Bouhler
Josef Wackerle Sculptor, works on the Reichssportfeld , in the Brown House and in the Cecilienhof , designer of numerous coins and plaques. Member of the Reich Culture Senate. Bouhler
Winifred Wagner Richard Wagner's daughter-in-law and director of the Bayreuth Festival . Bouhler

Controversies in the run-up to the awards

Sour break

The later award winner August Bier was not originally on the list of proposals, nor was he even under discussion for it. The award of beer is apparently the result of massive protest by Gerhard Wagner , Reichsärzteführer and head of the Office for Public Health in the Reich leadership of the NSDAP, against the nomination of Sauerbruch. Insightful details are contained in Goebbels' diary entries from 1937:

September 3
"Fuehrer's opinion National Prize: Rosenberg, Sauerbruch, and Furtwängler ... Otherwise the decision will only be made in Nuremberg itself."
7th of September
“Discussed with the Führer national prize winners: we have agreed on the following basis: Troost once again beyond the grave for honorary sake. Then Rosenberg, Sauerbruch and Filchner. A very funny compilation. A keen party man and a free medicine man. Another important researcher. That makes a good impression. "
September 8th
“My speech about the awarding of the German National Prize dictated. Short and factual. Troost out of order, then Rosenberg, Sauerbruch and Filchner. We brought Sauerbruch from Baden-Baden to here by plane with a bang. He will be surprised. In the afternoon, Dr. Wagner and comrades and protest strongly against Sauerbruch. He is a servant of Jews, etc. They cannot argue against his scientific merits. We go to the Führer, but he doesn't want to go back. Finally we come to an agreement on the following basis: a prize will be distributed in two installments of 50,000 Mk each. A beer rate, a sour break. Then the whole speech must be overturned again. Wagner helps me justify it, and then we're clear. That was a forceps delivery! "

In response to a previous request from the Reich government as to which doctor should receive the national prize, Sauerbruch himself stated that only August Bier would be eligible. Bier, on the other hand, suggested Sauerbruch in response to the identical question.

Heinkel

There were also disagreements in the nomination in 1938. The award to Heinkel was fiercely controversial as he was in constant feud with Gauleiter Friedrich Hildebrandt . Martin Bormann , at that time still subordinate to Rudolf Hess , had tried to push Heinkel out of the price through him, but Göring and Hitler spoke out in favor of him.

Awards

The German National Prize was awarded to a total of nine people.

1937

The award ceremony took place on September 7, 1937 in the “Nuremberg Opera House” , and the awards were presented on January 30, 1938 by Adolf Hitler in the Reich Chancellery . The first five winners were:

1938

The award was announced on September 6, 1938, and the handover by Adolf Hitler in the Reich Chancellery on January 30, 1939. The winners of this second year were:

Legal

According to the law on titles, medals and decorations of July 26, 1957, wearing the decoration is not permitted in any form.

See also

literature

  • Jörg Nimmergut : German medals and decorations until 1945. Volume 4: Württemberg II - German Empire. Central Office for Scientific Order Studies, Munich 2001, ISBN 3-00-001396-2 ; Pp. 1910-1917.
  • Keyword German National Prize for Art and Science. In: Cornelia Schmitz-Berning: Vocabulary of National Socialism. Walter de Gruyter, Berlin 1998, p. 145, ISBN 3-11-013379-2 .

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ The illustration shows a version made by Funcke & Brünninghaus from Berlin. It weighs 142.53 grams and is made of solid silver; the hallmark shows a fineness of 800/1000. In contrast to the versions from 1937/38, the eagles are only gold-plated. The copy shown was made either for exhibition purposes, as an additional template or as a cheaper variant for the planned awards from 1940. It was not awarded in this form. Cf. Jörg Nimmergut: German medals and decorations. Württemberg II - German Reich , Volume IV, Central Office for Scientific Order Studies, Munich 2001, ISBN 3-00-001396-2 ; P. 1917
  2. ↑ a b Detailed images of the sash with agraffe and the breast star can be found in: Jörg Nimmergut, Klaus H. Feder, Heiko von der Heyde: German Order and Badge of Honor: Third Reich, GDR and Federal Republic , Battenberg and Gietl publishers, 2008, ISBN 978 -3-86646-032-4 ; P. 14f.
  3. ↑ a b c d Nimmergut 2001; P. 1910.
  4. ^ A b c Cornelia Schmitz-Berning: Vocabulary of National Socialism , 1998, Walter de Gruyter, ISBN 3-11-013379-2 ; P. 145.
  5. ^ Decree of the Führer and Reich Chancellor on the foundation of a German National Prize for Art and Science of January 30, 1937 ( RGBl. I p. 305 )
  6. ↑ Implementing provisions for the decree of the Führer and Reich Chancellor on the foundation of a German National Prize for Art and Science , of January 30, 1937 ( RGBl. I p. 306 , §4)
  7. ↑ a b c d e f Cf. Nimmergut 2001; Pp. 1912-1916.
  8. ↑ Implementing provisions for the decree of the Führer and Reich Chancellor on the foundation of a German National Prize for Art and Science , from January 30, 1937 (RGBl. I p. 306, §2)
  9. ^ Nimmergut 2001; P. 1911
  10. ↑ a b Nimmergut 2001; P. 1912
  11. ^ Ferdinand Sauerbruch, Hans Rudolf Berndorff : That was my life. Kindler & Schiermeyer, Bad Wörishofen 1951; Licensed edition for Bertelsmann Lesering, Gütersloh 1956, pp. 397–399.
  12. ↑ a b Nimmergut 2001; P. 1916
  13. ^ Ferdinand Sauerbruch, Hans Rudolf Berndorff: That was my life. Kindler & Schiermeyer, Bad Wörishofen 1951; cited: Licensed edition for Bertelsmann Lesering, Gütersloh 1956, p. 397 f.
  14. ^ Nimmergut 2001; P. 1915
  15. ^ Heinz Kirchner, Hermann-Wilhelm Thiemann, Birgit Laitenberger, Dorothea Bickenbach, Maria Bassier: German medals and decorations. 6th edition, Heymanns, Cologne 2005, ISBN 3-452-25954-4 ; P. 192.