us-005578-irn539594-irn543620
date: 1943 January 01
scope and content: Scrip, valued at 100 (ein hundert) kronen, of the type distributed in Theresienstadt (Terezin) ghetto-labor camp beginning in May 1943. The ghetto currency was printed by the National Bank in 7 denominations: 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, 50, 100. Inmates were not allowed to have currency, which was confiscated. The SS ordered the Jewish Council to design scrip for use only in the camp, where it was issued to create a false appearance of normalcy. There was little to obtain with the scrip. Located thirty miles northwest of Prague in German occupied Czechoslovakia, the camp was established by the Germans in November 24, 1941, and ceased operation in early May 1945. In 3.5 years, approximately 140,000 Jewish persons were transferred to Terezin; nearly 90,000 were then deported, likely to their death, further east. About 33,000 died in Theresienstadt.
biographical history: Franz Peter Kien was born January 1, 1919, in Varnsdorf, Czechoslovakia (Czech Republic), to Leonard and Olga Frankl Kien. His father Leonard was born in 1886, in Varnsdorf, and was a member of the German-speaking Jewish population in the, the Sudetenalnd, which bordered Germany. Leonard was a textile manufacturer with his own factory. Peter’s mother Olga was born in 1898, in Bzenec, Austro-Hungary (Czech Republic), to Jewish parents. After 1929, the Kien family moved to Brno. Peter enrolled at the German Gymnasium, where he excelled at drawing, painting, and writing. In 1936, he graduated and moved to Prague to study at the Academy of Fine Arts. He also attended the Officina Pragensis, a private graphic design school run by a well-known Jewish artist, Hugo Steiner-Prag. On September 29, 1938, Germany annexed the Sudetenland. On March 15, 1939, Germany invaded Prague and annexed the Bohemia and Moravia provinces of Czechoslovakia, ruled by a Reich Protector. Jews were banned from participation in government, businesses, and organization, including schools. Peter had to leave the Academy, but continued to study at the Officina Pragensis. He also taught at Vinohrady Synagogue. In September 1940, Peter married Ilse Stranska, who was born on May 9, 1915, in Pilsen, to Jewish parents. In late September 1941, Reinhard Heydrich, the SS head of RSHA, Reich Main Security Office, became Reich Protector. Soon there were regular deportations of Jews to concentration camps. At the end of November, Theresienstadt concentration and transit camp near Prague got its first shipment of Jewish prisoners. On December 14, Peter was transported to Theresienstadt ghetto-labor camp. He was assigned to the technical department where he worked as a draftsman and designer alongside other artists, including Bedrich Fritta, Leo Haas, and Jiri Lauscher. On July 16, 1942, Peter’s wife Ilse arrived in the camp. On January 30, 1943, Peter’s parents Leonard and Olga were transported from Bzenec to Te…
identifier: irn543620
results or resulted from: http://lod.ehri-project-test.eu/units/us-005578-irn539594-irn543620/acquisitions/1
record resource extent: overall: Height: 3.000 inches (7.62 cm) | Width: 6.000 inches (15.24 cm)
archival history: The scrip was donated to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in 2016 by Barbara S. Adler.
has or had some members with language: deu
is or was included in: us-005578-irn539594
has or had identifier: http://lod.ehri-project-test.eu/units/us-005578-irn539594-irn543620/alternateIDs/1
conditions of access: No restrictions on access
type: RecordSet
has or had holder: us-005578
physical characteristics and technical requirements: Theresienstadt scrip printed on rectangular, watermarked, offwhite paper in black, orange, and red-brown ink. The face has a vignette of Moses, a bearded man with a wrinkled brow, holding 2 stone tablets with the 10 Commandments in Hebrew. To the right is the denomination 100 and German text. The background rectangle has an abstract, repeating pattern. On the right is a wide offwhite border with 100 in the bottom corner below a Star of David. The reverse has a background rectangle with a zigzig pattern with an underprint flourish, overprinted with German text, an engraved signature, and a scrollwork line. The denomination 100 is in the upper right corner. On the left is a wide offwhite border with 100 in the bottom corner below a Star of David in a lined circle. The serial number in red ink is in the upper left corner. The series letter in red ink is in the lower right.
has record set type: Item
title: Theresienstadt ghetto-labor camp scrip, 100 kronen note