us-005578-irn551456-irn551457
type: RecordSet
archival history: The toy bus was donated to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in 2016 by Renata Polt.
biographical history: Renate Pollatschek (later Renata Polt, b. 1932) was born in Ústí nad Labem, Czechoslovakia, to Elisabeth (née Lederer, 1902-2005) and Friedrich Pollatschek (1896-1967). Both parents were born in Aussig, Austria, which became Ústí nad Labem when Czechoslovakia was formed following World War I, during which Friedrich was injured fighting for Austria. Elisabeth was a homemaker born to Josefine (1874-1967) and Richard Lederer (?-1936), and had one brother, Willi (?-1971). Her father, Richard, was born Jewish, but converted to Protestantism when he married Josefine, and Elisabeth was baptized Lutheran. Friedrich was born to Henriette (née Heller, 1870-1942) and Hermann Pollatschek (1858-1926). He was a lawyer with his own firm. He had one older sister, Lene (Helene) Fürth (née Lederer, 1893-?), and two brothers, Hans (1891-1914) and Wilhelm (1899-1918), who both died while serving in the Austrian army during WWI. Friedrich grew up Jewish, but split from Judaism at 18 after a disagreement with a Rabbi. Consequently, Renate and her older brother Hans (b. 1929) were baptized Lutheran, and although they rarely attended church, they grew up celebrating Christian holidays. The Pollatschek family lived comfortably and employed several staff members. They lived on the second floor of Friedrich’s childhood home, while Friedrich’s mother, Henriette, lived in her own apartment on the first floor. They all spoke German as their native language, and considered themselves loyal to Austria, despite the border change that made them Czechoslovakian citizens. On January 30, 1933, Adolf Hitler was named Chancellor of Germany. The growth of the Nazi party in Germany allowed the party’s popularity to spread to other German-speaking areas, including where the Pollatscheks lived. Several members of Renate’s extended maternal family joined the Czechoslovakian Nazi party and refused to speak to the Pollatscheks anymore, viewing them as Jewish. Renate’s father, Friedrich, was concerned about Hitl…
physical characteristics and technical requirements: a. Yellow, painted, wooden toy bus with five rotating black wheels nailed to it and added details painted in black throughout. The top is gray-blue, and the back half of the roof has a raised edge with vertical lines on it. Each side has six square holes cut out along the full length to represent windows, with a seventh, thin rectangular one at the front. Below the windows, there is a horizontal line above German text. On the passenger side, the door is formed by a line border around the first square window. At the front, the windshield is a large rectangular hole, along with a hood represented by painted, horizontal rectangles connected to vertical lines. The grille is indicated by painted horizontal lines at the front of the bus. The back has a cut-out square window with a ladder to the left and a painted spare tire below. Each side has three wheel wells with black-painted cardboard fenders above: one at the front, and two near the rear. On the passenger side, the second rear wheel is missing. The front wheel’s fender extends into a step below the door. Inside, there are four bench seats and five painted wooden figures. Sitting in front of a brass-colored metal steering wheel is a figure with a red shirt and blue hat. On the third bench seat is another figure wearing the same clothing, but missing its left arm (b). There are two loose figures with blue shirts and red hats. The bus is stained and discolored overall. There is cracking between the windows, and paint and pieces of cardboard are missing around the loose wheels. b. Thin, rectangular piece of wood, formerly attached as an arm to a wooden figure inside a toy bus (a). The arm is slightly wider on one end and painted red.
conditions of access: No restrictions on access
conditions of use: No restrictions on use
date: after 1933-before 1938 September 11
has or had holder: us-005578
has or had identifier: 1
has or had some members with language: deu
has or had subject: 2032
has record set type: Item
identifier: irn551457
is or was included in: us-005578-irn551456
record resource extent: a: Height: 1.625 inches (4.128 cm) | Width: 1.250 inches (3.175 cm) | Depth: 5.500 inches (13.97 cm) b: Height: 0.375 inches (0.953 cm) | Width: 0.125 inches (0.318 cm)
results or resulted from: 1
scope and content: Wooden toy bus given to Renate Pollatschek (later Renata Polt) by her parents in the 1930s when they were living in Ústí nad Labem, Czechoslovakia. The bus is a German toy with “Eilkraftwagen” painted on the sides, rather than “Autobus.” The new word was likely created by the Nazi party to replace foreign words like “Autobus” in the German language. Renate lived with her parents, Friedrich and Elisabeth, her older brother, Hans, and her paternal grandmother, Henriette. She was less than a year old when Adolf Hitler was named Chancellor of Germany on January 30, 1933. Friedrich, was concerned about Hitler’s anti-Jewish policies, so when he found out that German troops were gathering at the border in September 1938, he decided to get his family out of Czechoslovakia. On September 11, 6-year-old Renate left with her brother and their parents for Lucerne, Switzerland. Her grandmother, Henriette, came to visit and Friedrich tried to convince her to stay with them, but she refused. In April 1939, the family left Switzerland for Havana, Cuba, before settling permanently in the United States in September 1940. The family stayed in contact with Henriette through letters. She eventually decided to emigrate, but was never able to get the required paperwork to leave. After the war, Renate and her family found out that Henriette had been transported to Theresienstadt ghetto-labor camp in German-occupied Czechoslovakia on July 13, 1942, and then deported to Treblinka II killing center in German-occupied Poland on October 19, where she was murdered.
title: Wooden toy bus owned by a Czechoslovakian Jewish girl