SS Führerschule Castle Wewelsburg
Page 1
The pictures of the marching SS soldiers before the castle are from the photo archive of Arthur Meter of Nuremberg, Germany who had the permission of the Herman Auction House in Munich to copy it when they had it up for sale in a previous auction sale. No one can have a copyright on this picture -- it is now in the possession of the Wewelsburg District Museum.
Wewelsburg Dinnerware |
DESCRIPTION: Here is a small grouping of silverware from the SS Leadership School at Castle Wewelsburg. This Besteck, or flatware, was part of a very large collection that was assembled by a German collector who, in 1950, started collecting nothing but Besteck until his death in recent years. He had the Kaiser’s silver, the führer’s formal silverware, and pieces from the concentration camps; and knives, forks, spoons from several elite SS units to include the famed LAH, the Leibstandarte Adolf Hitler, the Wiking Division, das Reich, etc., but some of the scarcest of all were the pieces from the SS-Führerschule “der Führerkorps (the Leadership School) at Castle Wewelsburg. The tableware from other SS and NS groups now are featured throughout our pages, but none as rare as these particular items. The ancient castle was acquired by Heinrich Himmler in 1934. It is said that the Ahnenerbe (Office of Ancestral Research) had a major input in the ensuing redevelopment of the castle. Many closed ceremonies were carried on within its walls and there are special rooms and great halls that are designed and dedicated to those purposes and it was here that the Totenkopfringe (SS Rings of Honor) were to be returned after the death of an SS-officer recipient. Himmler’s plans for the castle included making it the center of a new Germanic world empire following a final victory. To symbolize this, a circular wall centered on the castle one kilometer in diameter was planned. This would have been the north tower and it would have served as the “center of the world.” Much can be found on the internet about the castle so we will not give a full explanation here. Of course, the descriptions and narratives that are to be viewed will be replete with such exciting blood-tingling blather as to indict the castle and the SS to the role of murderers, sadist, etc. (the language of those who win a war!), but the inquisitive, the student, the collector, can read between the lines and learn. In any case, just wade through the drivel and extract the needed information. The pieces are most beautiful being formal dinnerware from such a prestigious NS institution. There are five different patterns; the earlier patterns being naturally more scarce. The items are all in very good condition showing use, but are, in fact, undented and bright. When they are gone they are surely gone. We know of no other source. The collector who is able to procure any of these is to be considered quite fortunate.
PRICE: Sets are individually priced below: |
Wewelsburg Dinnerware Set (first type, informal) (Item CASTLE 1-1) |
||||||||
DESCRIPTION: This is a set of knife, fork, and spoon in the early style with the small set of PRICE: SOLD |
|
||||||||||||
Wewelsburg Dinnerware Set (second type) (Item CASTLE 1-2) |
||||||||||||
DESCRIPTION: This is another set of the Wewelsburg dinner service (Besteck), flatware. This one being of the much more formal style adopted later, whenever the supplier was changed. These pieces have a rather baroque motif. The sizes are the same as those above. The SS on the front of the tang is larger and more pronounced, and the Wewelsburg and small PRICE: SOLD |
|
|||||||
Wewelsburg Dinnerware Set (Item CASTLE 1-3) |
|||||||
DESCRIPTION: This set is composed of a knife and fork of the formal pattern as shown in the proceeding articles above. Markings the same; condition the same.
PRICE: SOLD |
Souvenir Knife from the SS Leadership School Wewelsburg (Item CASTLE 1-4) |
DESCRIPTION: This is probably the nicest Wewelsburg item we have seen. It is a solid silver fish knife that one of the former officer candidates must have liberated during his stay there (students do such things!). The knife is definitely a very formal piece of high service dinnerware decorated with fine floral engraving. The SS officer candidate upon his graduation obviously snuck it out and had it engraved later with the words "SS Reichsfuhrerschule –burg Wewelsburg”, and had his initials E.G. put on the end of the handle. On the back is the 800 and half-moon stamp for silver and the name of the firm that supplied it to the castle, C. Donddorf. The knife is 8 ½ inches long and is in perfect shape A great historical item that is both rare and beautiful. Wewelsburg items are seldom found and this was a most fortunate acquisition. PRICE: SOLD |
|
|
Book: Heinrich Himmler’s Camelot |
|
DESCRIPTION: This is a sensational book that should be a must for any serious SS collector. We felt that it was imperative that we handle it. It is the saga and history of the WewelsburgCastle (also known as “Himmler’s Castle”) from ancient times to the present day, and the roles of the SS, the Ahnenerbe, Heinrich Himmler, Karl Weistor and other personalities. It further explains the surrounding geographic area of Westphalia and its strategic importance to the National Socialist philosophy. Reichsfuhrer SS Heinrich Himmler spearheaded a quest for Germany’s forgotten ancestral heritage and documents of its natural pagan culture. Heinrich Himmler’s Camelot also gives a rare insight as a high quality pictorial of the people, the architectural plans and castle rooms, including the north towers ‘Valhalla’ and “Hall of Pillars” with the “Black Sun” as well as the nearby Externsteine (rocks of the sun) and Hermann's monument (The Battle of Teutons vs. Roman Legions) plus much, much more material to thrill the hearts of true Germanophiles. *
Over 200 B & W photos, plus numerous illustrations and documents all available for the first time in an English language publication. Second hand copies of this hard to find book are sometimes avaiable on the internet for prices of around $120.00 to $195.00 USD. Having been at this castle several times I can say it is a real experience and should not be missed by serious historians. Germania International has a special arrangement with Stephen Cook the author, so the book is available from Germania International, LLC for $108.50 and this price includes postage and insurance in the United States. PRICE: SOLD OUT |
A Willrich Book from the SS Leadership School at Castle Wewelsbug (Nordisches Blutserbe) (Item CASTLE 1-6) |
DESCRIPTION: Here is a beautiful and historically important book filled with prints of paintings by Wolfram Willrich, the greatest of Germanic artists depicting the purity and nobility of the Germanic race and also it’s fighting men of the Wehrmacht. He devoted his talent and his soul to the glorification of the übermench (the master race!). (By the way, I do not apologize for the use of the term!) Although Willrich was said by the wimpy apologists to harbor beliefs that coincided with those of the Third Reich, actually he was not interested in the direct implementation of the policy or the alleged preparation for war. His first priority was art that he deemed beautiful. The conveyance of the beauty of nature and the nobility of the Aryan species. He brought out the faces of the most beautiful race of all! The wonderful countenances of Aryan folk. Willrich believed that any other rendition of art not based on solid craftmanship which did not comply with the rules of the classical era, was therefore totally degenerate and valuable only to idiotic fools! I fully concur with that sensible statement. Most modern Impressionistic art could after all easily be accomplished by infants or even apes. His portrayals of the gallant German fighting men of the war especially those who had won the Knights Cross were to become the heroes and models of the Hitler Youth and the nation as a whole. But although he is most famed for his war art we present here his portraits in book form of his studies of the Germanic folk whose faces reflect that nobility and beauty that we have hitherto mentioned. The book is named Nordisches Blutserbe (Blood Inheritance) a fitting title as this German racial countenance is mirrored in those 1930’s faces but remains much the same as their ancestors of old.--the Teutons. He subtitles this book Im Suddeutschen Bauertum southern German farming types. The book has 36 color pictures and 28 in black and white. 64 pages including an informative text. It was published in 1938 by F. Bruckmann in Munich the pictures are absolutely inspiring. Here is the National Geographic of Aryandom but with ‘white faces’ of the highest order. Willrich told it as it is! He accomplished his paintings in what could be said to be equal to thousands of words! The book measures 7 x 9 and the prints are from 5 ½ x 7 to 5 x 7 ½. Most of the paintings were accomplished in 1937. The book bears the stamp of the Library of the SS Ahnenerbe Bibliothek. The library of the SS leadership school at Castle Wewelsburg. Their stamp is in the front cover and again in the back cover. Inside the back cover you will also see the stamp of the SS hauptquartier In Berlin. The book was from this SS H.Q. in Berlin and then sent to Wewelsburg with the idea of inspiring the recruits there with the racial ideals that the SS stood for. Here is a very rare book that is even scarcer due to its former SS library ownership. PRICE: SOLD *Also see the marvelous recreation of Willrich’s SS poster series called Von Lebensbaum Deutschen art- -Bilder und Gedanken zur Rassenfrage Mappe 2 (from the Lifetree of the German types – pictures and comment on the question of race Folder 2. This is his famous series of pictures depicting the bust portraits of SS men go to Allgemeine SS page 35-17. |
|
|
Dinner Knife from Wewelsburg (Himmler’s Castle) (Item CASTLE 1-8) |
DESCRIPTION: Here is an excellent dinner knife from the SS Führerschule at Wewelsburg (Himmler’s Castle). Its pattern is similar to the set of three pieces shown at Item CASTLE 1-2 above; however, it does not have the large
runes on the front of the grip, but it does have the large
rune in the center of a semicircle with the word “Wewelsburg” following around the circle. At different times the patterns ordered by the castle procurement office showed some change. We believe this was the final approved pattern accepted by the Reichsführer-
himself. The price of this single piece of
besteck is . . .:
PRICE: SOLD |
|
|
|
Book Rasse und Humor (Item CASTLE 1-11; RAREBOOK 1-14) |
DESCRIPTION: Here is a book from the library of Burg Wewelsburg, Himmler’s Order Castle. The entire library collection was sold several years ago at a book fair in Frankfurt am Main and we managed to get a few volumes with the Wewelsburg Bibliothek (library) stamp inside. The book Rasse und Humor (Race and Humor) makes fun of the peculiarities of various races. It contains 58 black-and-white drawings and 254 pages and, of course, with German text it was published by the Lehmanns Verlag in Munich and Berlin in 1939. Some of the pictures are indeed very humorous. It is a rare book and seldom found as most books like this were destroyed by the victorious Kultur-Zerstörer—“Culture Destroyers”—after the war. To be from the library of the SS-Wewelsburg makes it even more desirable to the collector. The Wewelsburg stamp is found inside the front cover.
PRICE: SOLD |
|
|
Wewelsburg Dinnerware Set (fourth type) (Item CASTLE 1-12) |
DESCRIPTION: The pattern changed over the years as we have illustrated in the sets seen above. We think this one with the comparatively plain detail must have been the cutlery used by the household staff, but as you can see, it also has the familiar Wewelsburg logo with the SS runes within the wording. The set is comprised of a luncheon fork and luncheon knife. There is also a spoon with it in the same pattern, of course, but it is a large soup or serving spoon so in essence this is in not really a set, but still is very typical of the fourth-type utensil set. The knife has some staining on the grip, but the blade is for the most part immaculate and has the word “Rostfrei” (“stainless steel”) on it. As the others were, these later acquisitions were a lucky find and we were only able to procure them when a collector saw the others on the site and offered them to us. Many collectors appreciate that we do not, as a rule, remove sold items from our pages. If we did do this, we wouldn’t have been able to make this important purchase. These will not stick around too long considering the rarity and desirability of any Wewelsburg relics.
PRICE: SOLD |
|
|
Wewelsburg Dinnerware Set (fifth type) (Item CASTLE 1-13) |
DESCRIPTION: We believe this was the final pattern used there. It’s very similar to the second type of the formal pattern seen at Item Castle 1-2 above, but without the large runes; it does have the typical castle name and the small SS runes, though. The reverse side has nothing in design or runics. The knife blade is marked with a logo of the manufacturer and the city of origin is Solingen. The fork has the same manufacturer’s logo that employs an arrow the same way. The knife is marked with a “W” and an “S” plus “100” stamped on the reverse. The spoon is similarly marked. All of these utensils are in very fine condition, but unpolished at this point. A little polishing will do wonders! This is the high-evening dinner pattern used when highly positioned officials of the SS and the Nazi party would meet with Reichsführer-SS Himmler for a formal dinner at the castle. Of all the Wewelsburg pieces that we have acquired in the past, this set would certainly rank as the best of all of them; beautiful and truly historically important.
PRICE: SOLD |
Fantastic Find! 1st SS-Panzer Division, Leibstandarte Adolf Hitler (LAH) Formal Silverware (Item CASTLE 1-14; SS 38-41; Third Reich Tableware 1-9) |
DESCRIPTION: This is where collecting gets exciting! We have direct verification of the authenticity of these items. They are confirmed on page 396 of James A. Yannes’ The Encyclopedia of Third Reich Tableware, the go-to book for serious collectors. We have three 8¼-inch, large soup spoons and three 7-inch forks with the beautiful “LAH” monogram emblazoned on the handle; this style of engraving is referred to as the “twisted wire” pattern. The pieces are maker marked “V.S.F.90” for the Vereinigte Silberwaren-Fabriken AG, Düsseldorf; the “90” denotes 90 grams of fine silver were used in the plating process. The design was called the Biedermeier pattern having evolved in Vienna, Munich, and Berlin during the Biedermeier period of 1815-1848 in Germany and Austria. This pattern is one of about five patterns the SS had through the years. The elite SS was no different in its choice of tableware and sought the best! This is an extraordinary offering for an extraordinary military unit.
PRICE: $1,200.00; each piece |
Page One |
Please refer to item designator in parentheses in all correspondence.
Please E-mail for any additional information you may need.