Allach Porcelain Manufactory

After the National Socialists came to power in 1933, they began to propagate a new ideology in Germany. Strict regulation and tight control over every aspect of life and activity led to an extraordinarily accurate societal structure, reflected primarily not in monumental art, but in small forms, decorative works, and everyday objects.

A distinctive feature of all totalitarian systems is the desire not only to create their own official art but also to penetrate every area of human life, including private life. For instance, every newlywed couple was required to purchase "Mein Kampf" upon marriage registration and hang a portrait of the Führer in their home.

Everyday objects also became an effective tool for manipulating mass consciousness. Even household items were "called to ideological service" to the new order. The selection of themes, forms, motifs, and decoration methods for everyday objects was intended to embody the ideas of German greatness, military and civil might of the young Nazi state, and its connection to the ancient Roman Empire.

The new regime's ideology was most vividly reflected in an elaborate system of symbols. The most widespread were the swastika (an ancient solar sign associated in early civilizations with the idea of infinite movement and thus potential energy), the eagle (companion of the supreme god Zeus/Jupiter, an imperial symbol since antiquity), the cross (a symbol of the four cardinal points, four elements, the tree of life, and power), the wreath or oak leaves (oak, to Germans, symbolized life force and immortality), swords (a symbol of military success), as well as recognizable signs from different areas of human activity – a submarine, torpedo boat, city crest, head of the Greek goddess Athena, among others.

Porcelain items produced by Third Reich factories were notable not just for their symbolic imagery. The choice of subjects and motifs for small figurines and votive plates, candlestick shapes, and tableware reflected both the general political ideas of Germany's totalitarian regime and the nature of private life during the era.

Among the many porcelain factories in Germany at that time, Allach-Munich Manufactory held unquestioned leadership, at least ideologically, being considered a "SS enterprise" (as were the Apollinaris mineral water plant, Edel furniture factory, Nordland publishing, and a company producing swords for the SS).

The manufactory, founded by personal order of H. Himmler and his "favorite project," officially began operation on January 3, 1936. However, it is known that as a private business it had functioned even before achieving the status of the country's main porcelain producer. Evidence of this are samples from 1934 (notably the well-known figure "The Standard Bearer") and accounting records from 1935. Among its founders were Himmler's personal friend, artist Karl Diebitsch; sculptor and modeler Theodor Kärner; and two business partners, Bruno Galke and Franz Nagy.

Until December 20, 1938, the factory was under the cultural department (headed by K. Diebitsch) of Himmler's personal staff, with Himmler also acting as its artistic director. Officially, Himmler led the enterprise only starting in 1938, when it came under the SS Administrative and Economic Office (from 1939–1942, and later, until 1945, called the SS Economic Administration Main Office). The manufactory was primarily intended to serve political propaganda, refine taste, and raise the cultural level of "true Aryans," especially SS members. Economic profit was not the main goal, though it is known that before the war, the factory achieved up to 100% profit.

During the war, profitability dropped sharply, especially in the early 1940s, due to funding cuts and the mobilization of workers. The factory began using labor from nearby Dachau concentration camp. By autumn 1941, 40–50 prisoners worked there, rising to 100 by 1943. One regular worker could be replaced by two or three prisoners. Despite Himmler's discontent, many prisoners held significant positions and, in some cases, their work at the plant saved their lives.

Little is known about the last years of the factory's existence. After the war, as a Nazi enterprise, it ceased operations.

The history and character of porcelain production is best told by the objects themselves. The most significant are rare in the antique market due to limited runs, bombing, and deliberate destruction of politically themed figurines during and after the war. The only surviving original catalog is from 1936, still classified in the Library of Congress, while information comes from memoirs, reprints of the 1937 catalog and its variants, and, of course, the objects themselves.

The most comprehensive list includes around 240 ceramic and porcelain items. The priority was small porcelain figurines, often gifts for high-ranking officials, reflecting Nazi movement ideals—figures of soldiers from various eras, contemporaries, peasants, craftsmen, dancers, ancient gods, urban heraldic figures, and animals. The manufactory also produced one-of-a-kind commemorative plates and plaques. Only lamps and vases were made in mass numbers, and even tableware was produced rarely and mostly by special order. All porcelain items (except the “Fencer” figure) were glazed; some were painted, others left white.

Ceramic pieces were also rare, including the imperial eagle and Hitler’s head, as well as the “Julleuchter” lamp which became an iconic symbol of the era and was mass-produced, albeit unglazed to imitate the earliest Germanic artifacts.