us-005578-irn90209-irn898
record resource extent: overall: Height: 2.500 inches (6.35 cm) | Width: 5.000 inches (12.7 cm)
has or had holder: us-005578
has or had some members with language: deu
is or was included in: us-005578-irn90209
has record set type: Item
conditions of access: No restrictions on access
scope and content: Scrip, valued at 10 (zehn) kronen, of the type distributed in German occupied Czechoslovakia beginning in May 1943. Inmates were not allowed to have currency. The SS camp administrators ordered the Jewish Council to design scrip for use only in the camp. The notes were printed in 7 denominations: 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, 50, 100. It was issued to create a false appearance of normalcy. There was little to obtain with the scrip. Located forty miles northwest of Prague, the camp was established by the Germans in November 24, 1941, and ceased operation in early May 1945, at the war's end. In 3.5 years, approximately 140,000 Jewish men, women, and children were transferred to Theresienstadt; nearly 90,000 were then deported, likely to their death further east. Conditions in the camp were terrible, as severe overcrowding, unsanitary conditions, and lack of food led to illness and malnutrition. About 33,000 Jews died in Theresienstadt.
has or had some members with language: heb
conditions of use: No restrictions on use
results or resulted from: http://lod.ehri-project-test.eu/units/us-005578-irn90209-irn898/acquisitions/1
date: 1943 January 01
title: Theresienstadt ghetto-labor camp scrip, 10 kronen note
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…
physical characteristics and technical requirements: Theresienstadt scrip printed on rectangular, offwhite paper in black, blue, and purple ink. On the left is a medallion with an image of Moses holding 2 stone tablets with the 10 Commandments in Hebrew characters; to the right is the denomination 10 and German text. The background rectangle has an abstract leaf pattern. On the right side is a wide offwhite border with the denomination 10 in the bottom corner below a 6-pointed Star of David. The reverse has a background rectangle with an interlocked oval pattern with a central streak, German text, an engraved signature, and a scrollwork line. The denomination 10 is in the upper right corner. The left side has a wide, offwhite border with the denomination 10 in the lower corner below a 6-pointed Star of David within a lined circle. The plate letter and number are in the upper left corner. Scrip is discolored but like new and the top left corner is torn off.
type: RecordSet
identifier: irn898
has or had identifier: http://lod.ehri-project-test.eu/units/us-005578-irn90209-irn898/alternateIDs/1
archival history: The scrip was donated to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in 1989 by Barry Perlman.