Life of a German family. Personal experience: German life through the eyes of a Russian person

Like torture with bamboo, many researchers consider the “iron maiden” terrible legend. Perhaps these metal sarcophagi with sharp spikes inside only frightened the people under investigation, after which they confessed to anything. The "Iron Maiden" was invented at the end of the 18th century, i.e. already at the end of the Catholic Inquisition.
How it works?
1) The victim is stuffed into the sarcophagus and the door is closed;
2) The spikes driven into the inner walls of the “iron maiden” are quite short and do not pierce the victim, but only cause pain. The investigator, as a rule, receives a confession in a matter of minutes, which the arrested person only has to sign;
3) If the prisoner shows fortitude and continues to remain silent, long nails, knives and rapiers are pushed through special holes in the sarcophagus. The pain becomes simply unbearable;
4) The victim never admits to what he did, then she was locked in a sarcophagus for long time, where she died from loss of blood;
5) Some models of the “iron maiden” were provided with spikes at eye level in order to quickly poke them out.
3. Skafism
The name of this torture comes from the Greek “scaphium”, which means “trough”. Scaphism was popular in ancient Persia. During the torture, the victim, most often a prisoner of war, was devoured alive by various insects and their larvae who were partial to human flesh and blood.
How it works?
1) The prisoner is placed in a shallow trough and wrapped in chains.
2) He is force-fed large quantities of milk and honey, which causes the victim to have profuse diarrhea, which attracts insects.
3) The prisoner, having shit himself and smeared with honey, is allowed to float in a trough in a swamp, where there are many hungry creatures.
4) The insects immediately begin their meal, with the living flesh of the martyr as the main course.
4. The Terrible Pear


“The pear is lying there - you can’t eat it,” it is said about the medieval European weapon for “educating” blasphemers, liars, women who gave birth out of wedlock, and men gay. Depending on the crime, the torturer thrust the pear into the sinner's mouth, anus or vagina.
How it works?
1) A tool consisting of pointed pear-shaped leaf-shaped segments is inserted into the client’s desired body hole;
2) The executioner little by little turns the screw on the top of the pear, while the “leaves” segments bloom inside the martyr, causing hellish pain;
3) After the pear is completely opened, the offender receives internal injuries incompatible with life and dies in terrible agony, if you have not already fallen into unconsciousness.
5. Copper Bull


The design of this death unit was developed by the ancient Greeks, or, to be more precise, by the coppersmith Perillus, who sold his terrible bull to the Sicilian tyrant Phalaris, who simply loved to torture and kill people in unusual ways.
A living person was pushed inside the copper statue through a special door.
So
Phalaris first tested the unit on its creator, the greedy Perilla. Subsequently, Phalaris himself was roasted in a bull.
How it works?
1) The victim is closed in a hollow copper statue bull;
2) A fire is lit under the bull’s belly;
3) The victim is fried alive, like a ham in a frying pan;
4) The structure of the bull is such that the cries of the martyr come from the mouth of the statue, like a bull’s roar;
5) Jewelry and amulets were made from the bones of the executed, which were sold at bazaars and were in great demand..
6. Torture by rats


Torture by rats was very popular in ancient China. However, we will look at the rat punishment technique developed by 16th century Dutch Revolution leader Diedrick Sonoy.
How it works?
1) The stripped naked martyr is placed on a table and tied;
2) Large, heavy cages with hungry rats are placed on the prisoner’s stomach and chest. The bottom of the cells is opened using a special valve;
3) Hot coals are placed on top of the cages to stir up the rats;
4) Trying to escape the heat of hot coals, rats gnaw their way through the flesh of the victim.
7. Cradle of Judas

The Judas Cradle was one of the most torturous torture machines in the arsenal of the Suprema - the Spanish Inquisition. Victims usually died from infection, as a result of the fact that the pointed seat of the torture machine was never disinfected. The Cradle of Judas, as an instrument of torture, was considered “loyal” because it did not break bones or tear ligaments.
How it works?
1) The victim, whose hands and feet are tied, is seated on the top of a pointed pyramid;
2) The top of the pyramid is thrust into the anus or vagina;
3) Using ropes, the victim is gradually lowered lower and lower;
4) The torture continues for several hours or even days until the victim dies from powerlessness and pain, or from blood loss due to rupture of soft tissues.
8. Trampling by elephants

For several centuries, this execution was practiced in India and Indochina. An elephant is very easy to train and teaching it to trample a guilty victim with its huge feet is a matter of just a few days.
How it works?
1. The victim is tied to the floor;
2. A trained elephant is brought into the hall to crush the martyr’s head;
3. Sometimes before the “head test,” animals crush the victims’ arms and legs in order to amuse the audience.
9. Rack

Probably the most famous and unrivaled death machine of its kind called the “rack”. It was first tested around 300 AD. on the Christian martyr Vincent of Zaragoza.
Anyone who survived the rack could no longer use their muscles and became a helpless vegetable.
How it works?
1. This instrument of torture is a special bed with rollers at both ends, around which ropes are wound to hold the victim’s wrists and ankles. As the rollers rotated, the ropes pulled in opposite directions, stretching the body;
2. Ligaments in the victim’s arms and legs are stretched and torn, bones pop out of their joints.
3. Another version of the rack was also used, called strappado: it consisted of 2 pillars dug into the ground and connected by a crossbar. The interrogated person's hands were tied behind his back and lifted by a rope tied to his hands. Sometimes a log or other weights were attached to his bound legs. At the same time, the arms of the person raised on the rack were turned back and often came out of their joints, so that the convict had to hang on his outstretched arms. They were on the rack from several minutes to an hour or more. This type of rack was used most often in Western Europe
4. In Russia, a suspect raised on the rack was beaten on the back with a whip and “put to the fire,” that is, burning brooms were passed over the body.
5. B in some cases the executioner broke the ribs of a man hanging on a rack with red-hot pincers.
10. Paraffin in the bladder
A savage form of torture, the exact use of which has not been established.
How it works?
1. Candle paraffin was rolled by hand into a thin sausage, which was inserted through the urethra;
2. Paraffin slipped into the bladder, where solid salts and other nasty things began to settle on it.
3. Soon the victim began to have kidney problems and died from acute renal failure. On average, death occurred within 3-4 days.
11. Shiri (camel cap)
A monstrous fate awaited those whom the Ruanzhuans (a union of nomadic Turkic-speaking peoples) were taken into slavery. They destroyed the slave's memory terrible torture- putting a shiri on the victim’s head. Usually this fate befell young men captured in battle.
How it works?
1. First, the slaves' heads were shaved bald, and every hair was carefully scraped out at the root.
2. The executors slaughtered the camel and skinned its carcass, first of all, separating its heaviest, dense nuchal part.
3. Having divided the neck into pieces, it is immediately pairs They pulled them over the shaved heads of prisoners. These pieces stuck to the heads of the slaves like a plaster. This meant putting on the shiri.
4. After putting on the shiri, the neck of the doomed person was chained in a special wooden block so that the subject could not touch his head to the ground. In this form, they were taken away from crowded places so that no one would hear their heartbreaking screams, and they were thrown there in an open field, with their hands and feet tied, in the sun, without water and without food.
5. The torture lasted 5 days.
6. Only a few remained alive, and the rest died not from hunger or even from thirst, but from unbearable, inhuman torment caused by drying, shrinking rawhide camel skin on the head. Inexorably shrinking under the rays of the scorching sun, the width squeezed and squeezed the slave's shaved head like an iron hoop. Already on the second day, the shaved hair of the martyrs began to sprout. Coarse and straight Asian hair sometimes grew into the rawhide; in most cases, finding no way out, the hair curled and went back into the scalp, causing even greater suffering. Within a day the man lost his mind. Only on the fifth day did the Ruanzhuans come to check whether any of the prisoners had survived. If at least one of the tortured people was found alive, it was considered that the goal had been achieved. .
7. Anyone who underwent such a procedure either died, unable to withstand the torture, or lost his memory for life, turned into a mankurt - a slave who does not remember his past.
8. The skin of one camel was enough for five or six widths.
12. Implantation of metals
A very strange means of torture and execution was used in the Middle Ages.
How it works?
1. A deep incision was made on a person’s legs, where a piece of metal (iron, lead, etc.) was placed, after which the wound was stitched up.
2. Over time, the metal oxidized, poisoning the body and causing terrible pain.
3. Most often, the poor people tore the skin in the place where the metal was sewn up and died from blood loss.
13. Dividing a person into two parts
This terrible execution originated in Thailand. The most hardened criminals were subjected to it - mostly murderers.
How it works?
1. The accused is placed in a robe woven from vines and stabbed with sharp objects;
2. After this, his body is quickly cut into two parts, the upper half is immediately placed on a red-hot copper grate; This operation stops the bleeding and prolongs the life of most people.
A small addition: This torture is described in the book of the Marquis de Sade “Justine, or the successes of vice.” This is a small excerpt from a large piece of text where de Sade allegedly describes the torture of the peoples of the world. But why supposedly? According to many critics, the Marquis was very fond of lying. He had an extraordinary imagination and a couple of delusions, so this torture, like some others, could have been a figment of his imagination. But this field should not refer to Donatien Alphonse as Baron Munchausen. This torture, in my opinion, if it did not exist before, is quite realistic. If, of course, the person is pumped up with painkillers (opiates, alcohol, etc.) before this, so that he does not die before his body touches the bars.
14. Inflating with air through the anus
A terrible torture in which a person is pumped with air through the anus.
There is evidence that in Rus' even Peter the Great himself sinned with this.
Most often, thieves were executed this way.
How it works?
1. The victim was tied hand and foot.
2. Then they took cotton and stuffed it into the poor man’s ears, nose and mouth.
3. Bellows were inserted into the anus, with the help of which they were pumped into a person great amount air, causing it to look like a balloon.
3. After that, I plugged his anus with a piece of cotton.
4. Then they opened two veins above his eyebrows, from which all the blood flowed out under enormous pressure.
5. Sometimes a bound person was placed naked on the roof of the palace and shot with arrows until he died.
6. Until 1970, this method was often used in Jordanian prisons.
15. Polledro
Neapolitan executioners lovingly called this torture “polledro” - “foal” (polledro) and were proud that it was first used in their hometown. Although history has not preserved the name of its inventor, they said that he was an expert in horse breeding and came up with an unusual device to tame his horses.
Only a few decades later, lovers of making fun of people turned the horse breeder’s device into a real torture machine for people.
The machine was a wooden frame, similar to a ladder, the crossbars of which had very sharp angles, so that when a person was placed on them with his back, they would cut into the body from the back of the head to the heels. The staircase ended with a huge wooden spoon, into which the head was placed, as if in a cap.
How it works?
1. Holes were drilled on both sides of the frame and in the “cap”, and ropes were threaded into each of them. The first of them was tightened on the forehead of the tortured, the last tied thumbs legs As a rule, there were thirteen ropes, but for those who were especially stubborn, the number was increased.
2. Using special devices, the ropes were pulled tighter and tighter - it seemed to the victims that, having crushed the muscles, they were digging into the bones.
16. Dead Man's Bed (modern China)


The Chinese Communist Party uses the “dead man’s bed” torture mainly on those prisoners who try to protest against illegal imprisonment through a hunger strike. In most cases, these are prisoners of conscience, imprisoned for their beliefs.
How it works?
1. The arms and legs of a stripped prisoner are tied to the corners of a bed on which, instead of a mattress, there is a wooden board with a hole cut out. A bucket for excrement is placed under the hole. Often, a person’s body is tied tightly to the bed with ropes so that he cannot move at all. A person remains in this position continuously for several days to weeks.
2. In some prisons, such as Shenyang City No. 2 Prison and Jilin City Prison, police also place a hard object under the victim's back to intensify the suffering.
3. It also happens that the bed is placed vertically and the person hangs for 3-4 days, stretched out by his limbs.
4. Added to this torment is force feeding, which is carried out using a tube inserted through the nose into the esophagus, into which liquid food is poured.
5. This procedure is performed mainly by prisoners on the orders of the guards, and not by medical workers. They do this very rudely and unprofessionally, often causing more serious damage internal organs person.
6. Those who have gone through this torture say that it causes displacement of the vertebrae, joints of the arms and legs, as well as numbness and blackening of the limbs, which often leads to disability.
17. Yoke (Modern China)

One of medieval torture, used in modern Chinese prisons, is the wearing of a wooden collar. It is placed on a prisoner, causing him to be unable to walk or stand normally.
The clamp is a board from 50 to 80 cm in length, from 30 to 50 cm in width and 10 – 15 cm in thickness. In the middle of the clamp there are two holes for the legs.
The victim, who is wearing a collar, has difficulty moving, must crawl into bed and usually must sit or lie down, as the upright position causes pain and leads to injury to the legs. Without assistance, a person with a collar cannot go to eat or go to the toilet. When a person gets out of bed, the collar not only puts pressure on the legs and heels, causing pain, but its edge clings to the bed and prevents the person from returning to it. At night the prisoner is unable to turn around, and in winter time a short blanket does not cover your legs.
An even worse form of this torture is called “crawling with a wooden clamp.” The guards put a collar on the man and order him to crawl on the concrete floor. If he stops, he is hit on the back with a police baton. An hour later, his fingers, toenails and knees are bleeding profusely, while his back is covered in wounds from the blows.
18. Impalement

A terrible, savage execution that came from the East.
The essence of this execution was that a person was laid on his stomach, one sat on him to prevent him from moving, the other held him by the neck. A stake was inserted into the person's anus, which was then driven in with a mallet; then they drove a stake into the ground. The weight of the body forced the stake to go deeper and deeper and finally it came out under the armpit or between the ribs.
19. Spanish water torture

In order to the best way to carry out the procedure of this torture, the accused was placed on one of the types of racks or on a special large table with a rising middle part. After the victim's arms and legs were tied to the edges of the table, the executioner began work in one of several ways. One of these methods involved forcing the victim, using a funnel, to swallow a large number of water, then they hit the swollen and arched belly. Another form involved placing a cloth tube down the victim's throat through which water was slowly poured, causing the victim to swell and suffocate. If this was not enough, the tube was pulled out, causing internal damage, and then inserted again and the process repeated. Sometimes torture was used cold water. In this case, the accused lay naked on a table under a stream of ice water for hours. It is interesting to note that this type of torture was considered light, and the court accepted confessions obtained in this way as voluntary and given by the defendant without the use of torture. Most often, these tortures were used by the Spanish Inquisition in order to extract confessions from heretics and witches.
20. Chinese water torture
They sat a man in a very cold room, tied him so that he could not move his head, and in complete darkness cold water was very slowly dripped onto his forehead. After a few days the person froze or went crazy.
21. Spanish armchair

This instrument of torture was widely used by the executioners of the Spanish Inquisition and was a chair made of iron, on which the prisoner was seated, and his legs were placed in stocks attached to the legs of the chair. When he found himself in such a completely helpless position, a brazier was placed under his feet; with hot coals, so that the legs began to slowly fry, and in order to prolong the suffering of the poor fellow, the legs were poured with oil from time to time.
Another version of the Spanish chair was often used, which was a metal throne to which the victim was tied and a fire was lit under the seat, roasting the buttocks. The famous poisoner La Voisin was tortured on such a chair during the famous Poisoning Case in France.
22. GRIDIRON (Grid for torture by fire)


Torture of Saint Lawrence on the gridiron.
This type of torture is often mentioned in the lives of saints - real and fictitious, but there is no evidence that the gridiron “survived” until the Middle Ages and had even a small circulation in Europe. It is usually described as an ordinary metal grate, 6 feet long and two and a half feet wide, mounted horizontally on legs to allow a fire to be built underneath.
Sometimes the gridiron was made in the form of a rack in order to be able to resort to combined torture.
Saint Lawrence was martyred on a similar grid.
This torture was used very rarely. Firstly, it was quite easy to kill the person being interrogated, and secondly, there were a lot of simpler, but no less cruel tortures.
23. Pectoral

In ancient times, a pectoral was a female breast decoration in the form of a pair of carved gold or silver bowls, often sprinkled with precious stones. It was worn like a modern bra and secured with chains.
In a mocking analogy with this decoration, the savage instrument of torture used by the Venetian Inquisition was named.
In 1985, the pectoral was heated red-hot and, taking it with tongs, they put it on the tortured woman’s chest and held it until she confessed. If the accused persisted, the executioners heated up the pectoral again cooled by the living body and continued the interrogation.
Very often, after this barbaric torture, charred, torn holes were left in place of the woman’s breasts.
24. Tickle torture

This seemingly harmless effect was a terrible torture. With prolonged tickling, a person's nerve conduction increased so much that even the lightest touch initially caused twitching, laughter, and then turned into terrible pain. If such torture was continued for quite a long time, then after a while spasms of the respiratory muscles occurred and, in the end, the tortured person died from suffocation.
In the simplest version of torture, the interrogated person was tickled in sensitive areas either simply with their hands, or with hair brushes or brushes. Stiff bird feathers were popular. Usually they tickled under the armpits, heels, nipples, inguinal folds, genitals, and women also under the breasts.
In addition, torture was often carried out using animals that licked some tasty substance from the heels of the interrogated person. The goat was very often used, since its very hard tongue, adapted for eating grass, caused very strong irritation.
There was also a type of tickling torture using a beetle, most common in India. With it, a small bug was placed on the head of a man's penis or on a woman's nipple and covered with half a nut shell. After some time, the tickling caused by the movement of insect legs on a living body became so unbearable that the interrogated person confessed to anything
25. Crocodile


These tubular metal crocodile pliers were red-hot and used to tear the penis of the person being tortured. First, with a few caressing movements (often made by women), or with a tight bandage, a persistent, hard erection was achieved and then the torture began
26. Tooth crusher


These serrated iron tongs were used to slowly crush the testicles of the interrogated person.
Something similar was widely used in Stalinist and fascist prisons.
27. Creepy tradition.


Actually, this is not torture, but an African ritual, but, in my opinion, it is very cruel. Girls aged 3-6 years old simply had their external genitalia scraped out without anesthesia.
Thus, the girl did not lose the ability to have children, but was forever deprived of the opportunity to experience sexual desire and pleasure. This ritual is done “for the benefit” of women, so that they will never be tempted to cheat on their husbands
28. Bloody Eagle


One of the most ancient tortures, during which the victim was tied face down and his back was opened, his ribs were broken off at the spine and spread apart like wings. Scandinavian legends claim that during such an execution, the wounds of the victim were sprinkled with salt.
Many historians claim that this torture was used by pagans against Christians, others are sure that spouses caught in treason were punished in this way, and still others claim that the bloody eagle is just a terrible legend.

The Russian migrant was sheltered by an elderly German couple - 67-year-old Bernard and 63-year-old Adele. The family lives in old house, built by Adele’s grandfather around 1900. In Russia, wooden houses would hardly last long enough for three generations to live in them. IN neighboring village Bernard's mother, who is already 90 years old, lives there. True, it’s difficult to call this area a village - German villages differ from cities only in size, but they look even better than some Russian towns.

The 4-level house of Bernard and Adele occupies 5 acres of land:

“Land in Germany is expensive, the cost of one hundred square meters of land to build a house is about 30 thousand euros. The plot has its own garage and a very small garden. I estimate the cost of such a house to be approximately 300-400 thousand euros.”

On the first level there are two bedrooms, a kitchen, a bathroom and a toilet. The same thing is on the second level, only there is one bedroom here. On the third level, where the man actually lives, he has a bathroom, a bedroom and a small kitchenette at his disposal. In the basement there is a laundry and furnace room. 30 years ago, Bernard personally insulated the walls of the house with basalt fiber (Rockwool). Foam plastic is more common for insulation, however, this can cause mold, since polystyrene foam practically does not allow air to pass through. Regarding heating, you need to heat it every day, since the house cools down during the night. Every morning at 6 o'clock Bernard lights up the stove.

“I cannot answer for all Germans, but as a rule, only those rooms in which they live are heated well. Those. During the day, the living room, kitchen, and bathroom are heated to a temperature of 20-22°C. In other rooms it could be 15°C. At night they heat the bedroom, but to a temperature of 18-20°C, the rest of the rooms are either left untouched or, if not too lazy, the heating is set to minimum.”

For many Russians, a temperature of 20-22 degrees is too low, but the Germans solve this problem simply - by wearing extra clothes. At this temperature, the optimal level of humidity in the room is established; it is also believed that for better work The brain needs just such a temperature regime.

As for food, it also has its own characteristics:

“Germans eat little for breakfast. Usually this is a sandwich with cheese and sausage, or oatmeal with milk and cocoa. Since my Germans are pensioners, they usually have lunch at home. For lunch, be sure to serve hot food, cook it yourself or order food home.”

For lunch, Adele prepares Hochzeitssuppe, which includes noodles, scrambled eggs and bone marrow flour balls, and National dish Maultaschen, which literally translates to “mouth bags”, is minced meat in dough. Also on the table there are often croquettes, French fries on the side, and as a dessert they can serve fruit salad with whipped cream.

“For lunch, Germans can drink beer, wine, wine diluted with soda, apple juice with soda. After all this they can also have a cup of coffee.”

Dinner is usually not very filling; after seven in the evening it is no longer customary for Germans to eat. As a Russian migrant notes, vegetables and fruits in Germany are cheaper than in Russia:

“Products are bought in the nearest supermarkets: Edeka, Rewe, Aldi, Netto. For me the food is tasty and of high quality. Prices: 300g sliced ​​Maasdam or Gouda cheese - 1.86 euros, 200g sliced ​​sausage - 0.86 euros, 750g sliced ​​sandwich bread - 0.85 euros, 250g frozen salmon fillet - 4.29 euros, 720 g applesauce – 0.69 euros.”

Today we take a look under the veil of German stiffness. We think that it will not hurt anyone to get acquainted with the unusual national highlights of German pastime and behavior of Germans, daily and holiday.
1. Eye to eye
It is customary for the Germans to look into each other's eyes while clinking glasses (no matter what drink). They believe that if you do not follow this custom, you will experience failure in your sexual life. Not just for a while, but for 7-8 years. By the way, our “good health”. In German it will sound like “Prost”!

2. What will the lead tell you?

On New Year's Eve, many Germans gather small companies and tell fortunes with lead. To do this, they melt some product over candles. Then pour this liquid into a bowl of cold water. As the lead hardens, it takes on bizarre shapes, from which those gathered try to figure out what awaits them in the year.

3. Hello!

In German society it is customary to say hello to strangers in elevators, train compartments, shops.

4. Handshake

It is also customary to shake hands at any opportunity. You must shake hands when meeting, when parting, when arriving and leaving, when you agree or disagree to something. The Germans give great importance a firm handshake that, if given with all your heart, could risk breaking half a dozen small bones. As a sign of friendship, the hand is held as long as possible. If a German squeezes your hand like a pincer and doesn't let go even when sparks are flying out of your eyes and you feel like you're about to lose consciousness, it means that he likes you. Replying to phone call, a German usually says his name. This is a verbal replacement for a handshake.

During various religious holidays in Germany it is prohibited to sell alcoholic drinks. It is also not uncommon for clubs and bars to close these days.

6. Fire Wheel

To celebrate Easter, it is customary for the Germans to lower from a mountain or hill a burning bale of hay that has not been eaten by livestock during the winter. It is usually cylindrical in shape. This is how the Germans greet spring.

7. Clap

In Germany, clapping your hands as a sign of approval is customary in theaters and at concerts. Students slam their palms on their desks in schools or universities. If at a lecture people begin to applaud, as if at a performance, this means that the lecturer is asked to immediately wrap up the lecture. Tapping on the table when entering a room can replace the traditional “Hello.”

8. Birthday

In German society it is not customary to celebrate birthdays in advance. Even if, say, your holiday is on Monday, you will be condemned if you move it to Sunday.

9. Children

Germans treat animals better than children. Children for them are primarily a source of noise and disorder. All these inconveniences associated with children irritate them very much. IN in public places your dog will receive more attention than your offspring.

10. Elderly people

But on the contrary, the attitude towards older people can be said to be reverent. In Germany, a person gains real independence only after retirement, and it is then that he discovers reserves of conservatism and a passion for order that he never thought about in the days of his rebellious youth. The Germans are looking forward to taking this place under the sun of the “elderly” elite.

How do you like this behavior of the Germans?

The Kaiser's Empire of Wilhelm II is an interesting cultural and historical layer that invariably attracts the interest of collectors. Many surviving interior items bear the imprint of the militaristic idea: in great progress there were souvenirs, office supplies and even children's toys with a military-patriotic theme. Another significant group of material evidence from that time is directly related to the passage military service. These are things of veterans: the famous “regimental beer mugs”, camp cutlery and flasks, memorable smoking pipes, military bugles and harmonicas.

Antiques from the era of the Kaiser of Germany

Our online catalog Antik1941 offers military-patriotic cabinet items, household and interior items:

• Regimental circles;
• Smoking pipes of German veterans;
• Wall plaques to commemorate the service;
  
• Coffee pairs from Dresden bone china end XIX - early XX century;
Sets of silver spoons;
• Crystal wine jugs;
• Devices for cutting game;
• Fruit dishes;
  
• Silver jewelry in Art Nouveau style;
• Army bugles;
• Award cups;

Antique German things from the beginning of the century are not only a collectible value original items with real real old German quality, but also a unique ambience and addition to your interior. German antique household items and interior items will add a unique ambience and give an exclusive character to the atmosphere in your home or office.

Collecting beer mugs
Today, the variety of beer on the shelves is amazing, and the number of varieties, types and colors from green to red will attract the attention of even a person indifferent to alcohol.
Although, become collector of beer paraphernalia, probably only people who sincerely love this foamy drink, whose history goes back several thousand years, can. After all, the first identified remains of beer date back to around 3500 BC.
Beer paraphernalia from that ancient era is today only available in museums. Although, this can only be called ancient amphorae and some items of brewing production, which were especially common in ancient Rome. True, the cost of those preserved up to today ancient brewing items is too high.
Collecting beer paraphernalia today means collecting various types items related both to the very procedure of making this drink and its consumption. The most popular among birophile collectors are beer glasses, beer caps, beer boxes, beer souvenirs, beer badges and beer labels. But we will focus on collecting beer mugs and glasses.
The history of brewing goes back more than one thousand years, during which this foamy drink firmly entered into people's lives and was introduced to the artistic culture of mankind.
Vintage beer mugs– a special collector's item. They belong to the category of decorative and applied art - artistic works of old masters, made not only for artistic, but also for utilitarian purposes. The material chosen for the mugs could be glass, metal, ceramics, wood, and even nut shells and other original materials.
So, collecting beer glasses and mugs is one of the oldest trends in this type of collecting. After all, even in ancient times, people realized that the taste of beer depends not only on the ingredients, but also on the vessel from which it is consumed. Therefore, today you can find many various variations beer glasses that captivate collectors different corners globe. It is worth paying special attention to the fact that different varieties reveal their taste better in different glasses. That is why you can often see the emblems of certain breweries or even specific varieties or types of intoxicating drink on beer mugs. Such glasses are especially attractive to collectors.
In general, beer glassware is made from various materials, among which the most common are wood, glass, porcelain and ceramics. Less commonly, beer glasses are made of metal (this was common in ancient times), stone or leather, but such options also occur. By the way, the country of origin of the glasses is often distinguished by the material, although, of course, today this is not an indicator, but if we consider antique mugs, then you need to pay attention to what the beer mug is made of. Often, collections of beer glassware are formed based on the material.
The first beer mugs appeared at the beginning of the 16th century in Germany. A little later they had lids with a lever for thumb. This happened after the advent of the law on the purity of beer, introduced by a great connoisseur of this foamy drink - Duke Wilhelm IV in 1516 in Ingolstadt, the capital of Bavaria, so that foreign impurities and aromas could not spoil its wonderful taste.
The greatest prosperity in the production of beer mugs occurred in the mid-to-late 19th century, and the center of this production was the lands of modern Germany. It was in ancient German manufactories that unique technologies for the production and decoration of beer mugs were developed, their mass production was established and the best collectible samples were produced, which are the pride of their happy owners.
German beer mugs are part of a centuries-old tradition in Germany. Made of ceramic, glass or porcelain, they were invariably equipped with tin lids so that a fly or a leaf from a tree would not darken the joy of valuable drink! The tradition of producing elaborately decorated beer mugs with lids is still alive today!
The world of collectible antique German beer mugs is extremely diverse: the main sections of collecting are regimental (reservist) beer mugs, “guild” mugs of student associations, award mugs of sports associations, figured mugs depicting, for example, monks, animals or buildings, and personalized mugs of breweries.
Standing apart are the famous Mettlacher mugs - products of the Villeroy and Boch factories of the late 19th - early 20th centuries - distinguished by a special technique for making relief decorations.
In Germany, for example, the Germans' love for beer was reflected in the propaganda of the Third Reich. Beer mugs show this propaganda quite clearly.
IN Nazi Germany the beer mug acquired additional special symbolism.
Exactly from the throw beer mug by Hitler in the Munich beer hall "Bürgerbräukeller" On November 8, 1923, the first attempt of the future leader of the Third Reich to seize power in Germany began, which later became known as the “Beer Hall Putsch.”
Needless to say, the first beer mugs with veteran symbols were knocked on the tables of Munich beer halls by inspired listeners in agreement with the speeches of the young speaker, long before the events in the Bürgerbräukeller.
Thus, the beer mug became an unspoken symbol of the National Socialist regime.
Among the soldiers of the Wehrmacht and the SS, commemorative beer mugs covered with glaze, patterns, inscriptions, sketches with scenes of battles or barracks life, often made by hand, personified the spirit of that same soldier's Kameradschaft (German: “association”) and became the main participants noisy German beer halls feast - "Stamtish".
In Germany, beer mugs are a national treasure, and the life stories of representatives of different classes can often be read from their subjects.
The ANTIK 1941 website contains a small but quite interesting collection vintage german beer mugs with tin lids late XIX - early XX centuries.
German beer mug - wonderful gift for men and interesting collectible! Most of the mugs displayed on the pages of our antique 1941 online catalog are in excellent condition! These are worthy collectible exhibits, memorable gifts and excellent an original addition to any interior.

True German quality is inherent in almost everything antiques from 19th century Germany. Manufacture production was distinguished by the safety margin of the manufactured item. Everything was done to last! German masters of that time found fame throughout the world. Products were supplied to Tsarist Russia, England, and America...

When thinking about moving to Germany for permanent residence, you need to become thoroughly familiar with the local mentality and culture of life of the population.
It will be very difficult for a Russian person to understand many of the actions of a German, his thoughts, humor and disappointments. Different approach to all everyday activities, to work, to the organization of free time, they do not allow you to find mutual language between these nations.
Initially, the standard of living in capitalist Germany is higher than in Russia; some things that seem obvious to them will be a real discovery for a Russian.

Almost all married couples live in the suburbs, in their own houses or cottages, at least this is an indicator of success. All household equipment last word equipment: Bosch mini-washers, lawn mowers and convenient garden tools. Female half The provincial population is mainly concerned with children, home and garden. Male - goes to work in the city, in free time helps the family in everyday life. The Germans are very economical people; they practically never have anything superfluous or unnecessary. Each thing has its own clear purpose.

For example, the karcher multifunctional vacuum cleaner not only helps in cleaning the house, but also collects sawdust after using a chainsaw for further use as fertilizer. German housewives only trust laundries to wash their clothes; it’s much more economical: you don’t have to waste electricity and water, you just need to throw a quarter in the washing machine. There are meters and automatic switches for the consumption of water, gas, and heating at home. Solid waste is removed by special garbage trucks, which arrive daily to each house, strictly on schedule. Any housewife is involved in sorting waste; for a certain type of waste, there are generally bags of different colors.

When going to the store, German women never buy food in bulk, or in bags, as is customary here. Confidence in the future, in any situation, is also a character trait of the local population, and not without reason. Before shopping, every housewife makes a list, down to the gram, of the products needed for the week, i.e. they know exactly what they will cook on each day and in what quantity.

In supermarkets, customers only give their lists to managers, who, in turn, fill the basket with the necessary goods, carefully packing each item. Not a single one German woman there will be no desire, for example, to smell the sausage before buying it. They all have strong confidence in the quality of the products and only deploy them at home.

You can order food at home from any restaurant - dinner will be delivered on time, still hot, and the menu will never be mixed up. If any misunderstanding or delay occurs, the food is unconditionally provided at the expense of the establishment.

It is customary to celebrate birthdays in the morning by having a festive breakfast with sweets. Flowers must be a gift, regardless of the gender of the birthday person. Men are mostly given yellow roses; they are a symbol of courage and strength.