Walter Kramer (goldsmith)

Walter Kramer (born September 4, 1902 in Ribnitz ; † December 30, 1990 in Lübeck-Travemünde ) was a German goldsmith and founder of Fischland jewelry .

life and work

Kramer was a master goldsmith in Ribnitz who mainly worked as a silversmith. He was born in 1902 as the youngest of two sons of master goldsmith Ludwig Kramer (1867–1938) and his wife Olga Kramer, née. Schmelzer, (1876–1963) born. After learning the trade, he continued the family business in the fifth generation , which was started in 1771 by the gold worker and copper engraver Georg Kramer under the name “G. Kramer jun. ”Was founded in Ribnitz. The hallmark “GK”, which is still used today, was introduced around 1890.

Kramer's business was initially in his parents' house (which was demolished in 2012) at Langen Strasse 60. In 1932 he produced the first pieces of Fischland jewelry. The name goes back to the Fischland located northwest of Ribnitz , a land bridge on the southern Baltic coast of the Mecklenburg Bay and part of the Fischland-Darß-Zingst peninsula . Characteristic of the fish Country jewelry use are one or more natural ambers and their handmade edging made of silver with soldered filigree applications maritime motifs such as fish, starfish, anchors or sailing ships. The collection included rings, bracelets, necklaces, brooches, as well as spoons, cake servers , napkin rings, etc. Kramer's Fischland jewelery quickly enjoyed great popularity, especially among holidaymakers in the nearby Fischland, so he opened a shop in Wustrow . In January 1939 he had “Fischlandschmuck” legally protected as a word mark . After the Second World War , he expanded his business and founded Fischlandschmuck GmbH on December 9, 1946. The company at Körkwitzer Weg 48 was one of the largest employers in Ribnitz with over 80 employees.

In 1947/48 Fischlandschmuck GmbH was placed under forced administration by the Soviet military administration in Germany . In the course of this, Kramer was expropriated and fled to Travemünde. There he again founded a - much smaller - jewelry company, which from 1987 was continued by Kramer's step-daughter Andrea Böbs and her husband Hans H. Böbs. In the GDR , even after Kramer's expropriation, similar but industrially produced jewelry was sold under the name "Fischlandschmuck". The silver bezels were now cast instead of handcrafted. The producer was VEB Fischlandschmuck, founded on July 1, 1948, which emerged from Kramers Fischlandschmuck GmbH as a result of expropriation. As the owner of the word mark “Fischlandschmuck”, Kramer brought an action against its improper use at the Federal Patent Court . The lawsuit was decided in his favor in 1959. The VEB then renamed itself "VEB Ostsee-Schmuck". In the 1950s and 1960s the company developed into the largest jewelry manufacturer in the GDR. Since April 1992 it has operated under the name Ostsee-Schmuck GmbH. In 2009 the word mark “Fischlandschmuck” passed to the owner of an amber jewelry studio in Ribnitz-Damgarten .

On December 8, 1946 - one day before the establishment of the fish farm Jewelery Ltd. - donated by Kramer was Fischland bell of the Marienkirche Ribnitz consecrated. It was poured from cartridges that Kramer had collected after the end of the war at a former flak position on the Hohe Ufer near Ahrenshoop .

The childless Kramer was in his first marriage to Irma Kramer, geb. Köster, (1907–1947) and in second marriage with Inge Kramer, b. Ahlschwedt, (†) married. Kramer's ashes were buried in the old Ribnitz cemetery in Ribnitz-Damgarten at the beginning of 1991.

literature

• Kurverwaltung Ostseebad Wustrow (Hrsg.): Kulturpfad - Ostseebad Wustrow . 1st edition. Klatschmohn Verlag, Bentwisch 2008, p. 44 .
• Ulf Erichson, Wolfgang Weitschat: Baltic amber. Exhibition catalog. German Amber Museum, Ribnitz-Damgarten 2008, pp. 150–157.
• Axel Attula: Fischlandschmuck - Walter Kramer Ribnitz . Exhibition catalog. German Amber Museum, Ribnitz-Damgarten 2020.

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Dolores Kummer: "Die Tänen der Heliaden"  ( page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. . “ Mittelbayerische Zeitung ”, August 25, 2007, accessed on August 30, 2012.  
2. ↑ Fischlandschmuck ( Memento of the original dated August 13, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , Website of the Bernsteingalerie Ribnitz, accessed on August 30, 2012. 
3. ↑ Bernsteinstadt Ribnitz-Damgarten ( Memento of the original from November 13, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , Website of the German Amber Museum, accessed on August 30, 2012. 
4. ↑ Fischland jewelry from Ribnitz ( Memento of the original dated February 11, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , Website of the German Amber Museum, accessed on August 30, 2012.