Volksempfänger VE301w "People's Receiver" radio
Date: 1933-1938
Inventory Number: 2015-1-0010
Classification: Radio Broadcast Receiver
Subject:
Maker: Staßfurter Rundfunk-Gesellschaft mbH (1932 - 1947)
Cultural Region:
Place of Origin:
Dimensions:
39.1 × 27.9 × 15.9 cm (15 3/8 × 11 × 6 1/4 in.)
Description:
Rectangular table radio with Bakelite housing and Art Deco styling. Cloth grill over the speaker. Three knobs. The central knob is for tuning and the dial is labeled with the names of German cities. Molded into the plastic between the knob and the dial is the mage of an eagle's head holding the tuning knob in his beak.
In Collection(s)
Signedon back on metal label: Staßfurter Rundfunk-G.m.b.H.
Inscribedmolded into plastic above tuning knob: VE 301
Historical AttributesThe Volksempfänger radio was the brainchild of Joseph Goebbels, the proganda minister for the National Socialists in Germany in the 1930s. He wanted a "people's receiver" that the general public could afford. The original model, introduced on August 18, 1933, cost about two weeks salary. The Nazis used it as a tool for propaganda.
The bakelite cabinet was the work of the architect and industrial designer Walter Maria Kersting. The engineer of the radio was Otto Griessing.
the Nazi government manufactured these inexpensive radios, with the goal of having one in every German home. By 1941, 65% of German households owned at least one radio.
The Volksempfänger was designed to receive limited radio signals that carried only approved messages to the German public. It was difficult to tune into outside frequencies. Any attempts to listen to foreign stations were met with harsh punishment by the Nazi government.
The bakelite cabinet was the work of the architect and industrial designer Walter Maria Kersting. The engineer of the radio was Otto Griessing.
the Nazi government manufactured these inexpensive radios, with the goal of having one in every German home. By 1941, 65% of German households owned at least one radio.
The Volksempfänger was designed to receive limited radio signals that carried only approved messages to the German public. It was difficult to tune into outside frequencies. Any attempts to listen to foreign stations were met with harsh punishment by the Nazi government.
ProvenanceCHSI purchase, 2015.