Overview
- Brief Narrative
- Junghans brand alarm clock of the type used in the Łódź Ghetto in German-occupied Poland from May 1940 to August 1944. This alarm clock was manufactured in Silberberg, Germany, which became Srebrna Góra, Poland after World War II. Łódź was occupied by Germany a week after the September 1, 1939, invasion of Poland. The city was renamed Litzmannstadt, and in February 1940, approximately 160,000 people from the Jewish population were confined to a small, closed ghetto. All residents had to work, and many became forced laborers in ghetto factories. Eventually, nearly 100 factories were in operation. The major ones produced textiles, including uniforms for the Germany Army. Due to the severe overcrowding and scarce food, disease and starvation were common. The Judenrat (Jewish Council) were forced to administer the ghetto for the Germans. Judenrat chairman, Mordechai Rumkowski, thought hard work and high outputs would preserve the ghetto, but in January 1942, mass deportations to Chelmno killing center began. By the end of the year, half of the residents were murdered. In summer 1944, Łódź, the last ghetto in Poland, was destroyed, and the remaining Jews were sent to Chelmno and Auschwitz-Birkenau killing centers.
- Date
-
use:
approximately 1900-approximately 1945
- Geography
-
use:
Poland.
manufacture: Srebrna Góra (Poland)
- Credit Line
- United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Collection
- Markings
- face, center, printed, black ink : D. Silberberg SIE(illegible) / Zaklad, Zegarmistrzowsko – Jubilerski [D. Silberberg (illegible) Department, Watchmakers – Jewelry]
face, top subdial, printed, black ink : Junghans logo [unghans arched above J within an 8-pointed star] - Contributor
-
Manufacturer:
Junghans
Physical Details
- Language
- Polish
- Classification
-
Personal Equipment and Supplies
- Category
-
Timepieces
- Object Type
-
Alarm clocks (lcsh)
- Genre/Form
- Clocks & watches.
- Physical Description
- Round, silver-colored metal alarm clock with a domed bell on a small, wire wrapped rod on top, and a metal ring attached to the top. Underneath the bell, on the right, is a small knobbed mechanism, and on the left, extending upward, is a circular bell striker on a thin wire rod. The clock face is white with two parallel sets of numbers running clockwise around the circular perimeter. The inner, larger row is numbered 1-12, and the outer row is numbered 13-24 in a smaller font with four dots between the numbers. In the center, there are two black hands, one short and one long. Above and below the central hands, there are two small, circular, numbered subdials with numbers and a single hand. The upper dial is numbered 1-12, and bears the 8-pointed star Junghans logo at the bottom. The lower is numbered in increments of 10 from 10-60. There are two lines of Polish text in black ink at the center of the face, which is protected by a glass cover. Protruding from the bottom frame are two small, turned metal feet. Engraved on the back is a large, 8-pointed star, with three outlines. Inside the star, there are four rotating knobs used to wind the clock: two circular ones in the middle, and two with T-shaped handles on the sides. There is a sliding knob at the bottom. The metal is rusted, particularly on the bell, there are water stains on the glass and face, and the ink is smudged.
- Dimensions
- overall: Height: 7.750 inches (19.685 cm) | Width: 5.250 inches (13.335 cm) | Depth: 2.500 inches (6.35 cm)
- Materials
- overall : metal, glass, ink
Rights & Restrictions
- Conditions on Access
- No restrictions on access
- Conditions on Use
- No restrictions on use
Keywords & Subjects
- Topical Term
- Forced labor--Poland--Łódź. Holocaust, Jewish (1939-1945)--Poland. Jewish ghettos--Poland--Łódź. Jews--Persecutions--Poland. Slave labor--Poland--Łódź. World War, 1939-1945--Conscript labor--Poland--Łódź.
- Geographic Name
- Łódź (Poland) Srebrna Góra (Poland)
- Corporate Name
- Litzmannstadt-Getto (Łódź, Poland)
Administrative Notes
- Legal Status
- Permanent Collection
- Provenance
- The alarm clock was acquired by the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in 1990.
- Record last modified:
- 2023-06-14 07:09:17
- This page:
- https://collections.ushmm.org/search/catalog/irn4109
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Also in Kielce, Poland collection
The collection consists of an alarm clock, a butcher scale, a primus alcohol stove, and a Sphygmomanometer relating to Kielce, Poland, before and during the Holocaust.
Date: approximately 1900-approximately 1945
Red metal butcher scale with marble weight
Object
Red, metal, measuring scale with a marble weight, of the type used in the Łódź Ghetto in German-occupied Poland from May 1940 to August 1944. Łódź was occupied by Germany a week after the September 1, 1939, invasion of Poland. The city was renamed Litzmannstadt, and in February 1940, approximately 160,000 people from the Jewish population were confined to a small, closed ghetto. All residents had to work, and many became forced laborers in ghetto factories. Eventually, nearly 100 factories were in operation. The major ones produced textiles, including uniforms for the Germany Army. Due to the severe overcrowding and scarcity of food, disease and starvation were common. The Judenrat (Jewish Council) were forced to administer the ghetto for the Germans. Judenrat chairman, Mordechai Rumkowski, thought hard work and high outputs would preserve the ghetto, but in January 1942, mass deportations to Chelmno killing center began. By the end of the year, half of the residents were murdered. In summer 1944, Łódź, the last ghetto in Poland, was destroyed, and the remaining Jews were sent to Chelmno and Auschwitz-Birkenau killing centers.
G. Boulitte brand manual aneroid sphygmomanometer and case
Object
G. Boulitte brand sphygmomanometer, or blood pressure monitor, and leather case of the type used in the Łódź Ghetto in German-occupied Poland from May 1940 to August 1944. Łódź was occupied by Germany a week after the September 1, 1939, invasion of Poland. The city was renamed Litzmannstadt, and in February 1940, approximately 160,000 people from the Jewish population were confined to a small, closed ghetto. All residents had to work, and many became forced laborers in ghetto factories. Eventually, nearly 100 factories were in operation. The major ones produced textiles, including uniforms for the Germany Army. Due to the severe overcrowding and scarce food, disease and starvation were common. Originally, the ghetto had seven hospitals, seven pharmacies, four clinics, and two emergency rooms where Jewish doctors and nurses attempted to help other residents with the limited resources available to them. The Judenrat (Jewish Council) were forced to administer the ghetto for the Germans. Judenrat chairman, Mordechai Rumkowski, thought hard work and high outputs would preserve the ghetto, but in January 1942, mass deportations to Chelmno killing center began. In September the entire hospital system was shut down, and all of the patients were deported. By the end of the year, half of the residents were murdered. In summer 1944, Łódź, the last ghetto in Poland, was destroyed, and the remaining Jews were sent to Chelmno and Auschwitz-Birkenau killing centers.
Primus brand, No. 1 model, alcohol stove
Object
Primus brand alcohol stove of the type used in the Łódź Ghetto in German-occupied Poland from May 1940 to August 1944. Łódź was occupied by Germany a week after the September 1, 1939, invasion of Poland. The city was renamed Litzmannstadt, and in February 1940, approximately 160,000 people from the Jewish population were confined to a small, closed ghetto. All residents had to work, and many became forced laborers in ghetto factories. Eventually, nearly 100 factories were in operation. The major ones produced textiles, including uniforms for the Germany Army. In the ghetto, people attempted to maintain their normal lives, despite the increasing hardships. Women, when they were not laboring in the factories, worked to prepare food and do laundry for their families. These activities were made difficult by the meager food rations they received, and the lack of running water throughout most of the ghetto. Due to the severe overcrowding and scarce food, disease and starvation were common. The Judenrat (Jewish Council) were forced to administer the ghetto for the Germans. Judenrat chairman, Mordechai Rumkowski, thought hard work and high outputs would preserve the ghetto, but in January 1942, mass deportations to Chelmno killing center began. By the end of the year, half of the residents were murdered. In summer 1944, Łódź, the last ghetto in Poland, was destroyed, and the remaining Jews were sent to Chelmno and Auschwitz-Birkenau killing centers.