The popular support for Adolf Hitler that followed the National Socialists’ seizure of power in January 1933 tempted many German manufacturers to employ NS references to boost their products’ appeal. Dr. Goebbels moved quickly to regulate the flood of NS-themed merchandise and, on May 19, 1933, passed the “Law for the Protection of National Symbols.” Local authorities were authorized with the power to seize goods and prosecute manufacturers or merchants who sold products that used National Socialist symbols in ways that were deemed to violate the dignity of NSDAP and the German state. Lists of banned goods, including the names and locations of their producers, were published periodically in the Deutscher Reichsanzeiger (German Reich Gazette), the official state newspaper. Over the years, such contraband included Stormtrooper gingerbread, wine bottles and ashtrays ornamented with swastikas, women’s brooches with “Heil Hitler” in imitation diamonds, and alarm clocks that played the NSDAP anthem, “Die Fahne hoch” (The Flag on High).What began as a legal measure quickly grew into a broader cultural campaign. Newspaper and journal articles warned of the damage done to the German people by kitsch, an argument that had already been made by the German Werkbund at the turn of the twentieth century in its design reform campaign. Since 1933, government and cultural authorities, hoping to educate consumers, organized exhibitions of banned NS merchandise and similarly tasteless products, which attracted tens of thousands of viewers and international attention.
In the reception rooms of the Gau propaganda offices, there was a large glass showcase. It included awards and posters, but also displayed in an eloquent way every manner of national Kitsch. The display provided an educational display of which decorations and goods are worthy of the German people, and which are not.
For example, because Haus Wachenfeld (and later the Berghof) was so closely identified with the Führer, its commercial use also fell under the broad new legislation. This raises an interesting question regarding what might have threatened the dignity of the house. In the case of Haus Wachenfeld, by contrast, the quality of the merchandise seems to have been the deciding factor in determining approval or rejection of commercial designs. Thus, porcelain ornamental plates depicting Haus Wachenfeld tended to be approved, while terra-cotta ones were not. Similarly, a design for velvet cushion covers with an image of “our Führer’s country home” was rejected as an example of “tasteless products.” The concern about the kitschy quality of NS merchandise was not limited to Haus Wachenfeld. Guidelines to help interpret the law emphasized the need for high standards in a design’s conception and execution – all artistically inferior reproductions of National Socialist symbols were to be rejected. Nonetheless, many products did receive approval, since the National Socialists realized that such popular consumer goods increased their hold on the public imagination, as consumers brought these loaded symbols into the intimacy of their homes and made them a part of their everyday lives. Thus, children played with toy wooden models of Haus Wachenfeld and saved their pennies in Haus Wachenfeld replica coin banks; framed colour prints of Haus Wachenfeld hung on living room walls; Hoffmann’s books lay on coffee tables; and the postman delivered postcards of Haus Wachenfeld from friends vacationing in southern Bavaria or just writing to say hello.
On this page you can find the English translation of the laws, guidelines and documents against the National Kitsch as well as a gallery with multiple examples in full colour.
Laws, guidelines and documents
Law
for the protection of national symbols
Guidelines
for the application of the Law of 19 May 1933 on the protection of national
symbols
National
kitsch - Audit of the shops in Königsberg
Anti-kitsch
exhibition in Cologne
Photo Gallery - Examples for National Kitsch
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| Wall Decoration | Wall Decoration | Newspaper Collage | Drawing | Children’s Pinafore |
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| Wall Decoration | A Necktie | Kitsch in Action (Child in SA Uniform) | Rag Doll | Elastolin Figures |
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| Elastolin Figures | Decals | Decals | Fretsaw Templates | Children’s Flutes Made Of Tin |
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| Card Set From a Quartet Game | Puzzle | A page from a Reader Book | Music Box | Ashtray |
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| Cufflinks | Matchbox Made of Metal | Smoking Set | Ashtray | Cigarette Case |
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| Bakelite Relief | Key Holder (Bierzipfel) | Hiking Medallion | Pocket Knife | Postcard |
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| Hairpins | Paperweight | Stationery | Notepad With a Metal Lid | Paper Clip with Letterhead |
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| A Necklace | Thimbles | Rings | Rings | Pendant |
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| Pendants, Pins, Brooches | Clasps, Bracelet | Paperweight | Baking Pan | Coffee Cup |
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| Paper Cup | Wine Label | Egg Cup | Bracelet, Children’s Ball | Pennant for Regulars’ Table |
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| Vase | Wooden Wall-Slogan | Wooden Wall-Slogan | Plaques | Illuminated Buttons |
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| Pencil, Pen Holder | Candle | Shoe Brush | Chair Mat | Donation Card |
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| Christmas Tree Stand | Postcard | Postcard | Pewter Plate | Tin Relief |
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| Wood Relief | Bronze Relief | Clay Relief | Bust | Bust |
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| Bust | Breadbasket |
