Egg cup made from steel helmet

After the victory over National Socialist Germany, the Allies divided the country into occupation zones. There they also controlled the economy and industry, which they obliged to pay reparations on the one hand, but in which they also had to manage the shortage economy in order to provide the population with the bare necessities. There was a shortage of many things in Germany: housing, food, but also consumer goods. As a result of the prioritization of armaments during the war, production had almost come to a standstill in some cases. Many craft businesses and factories were obliged to produce armaments and had to stop their civilian production. At the same time, there was a huge demand for consumer goods after the war.

Many people were in need of new household items. People who had been bombed out and refugees in particular often needed a completely new household and were given priority in the allocation process.

But the raw materials for the production of goods were also in short supply. What was available en masse was military material: steel helmets were used to make colanders and cooking pots.

Private individuals also made clothing from parachute silk and uniform coats or processed ammunition parts and other military material into kitchen utensils or toys. Small craft businesses also made use of the available materials. A coppersmith from Bielefeld made these six egg cups from a steel helmet and dyed them red and gold. The helmet came from his daughter-in-law’s brother, who brought it with him after his release from French captivity. Until recently, it was carefully kept by the family and has now been handed over to the museum. Without the history that has been handed down, you wouldn’t be able to tell that they were previously a steel helmet.

Object of the month

(short) stories from the depot

Unfortunately, many objects cannot currently be shown in the exhibition for conservation reasons. Here you will find unusual objects and exciting stories of special pieces from the depot