Junghans single-bell alarm clock
Extent and Medium
overall: Height: 7.750 inches (19.685 cm) | Width: 5.250 inches (13.335 cm) | Depth: 2.500 inches (6.35 cm)
Creator(s)
- Junghans (Manufacturer)
Archival History
The alarm clock was acquired by the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in 1990.
Acquisition
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Collection
Scope and Content
Junghans brand alarm clock of the type used in the Łódź Ghetto in German-occupied Poland from May 1940 to August 1944. This alarm clock was manufactured in Silberberg, Germany, which became Srebrna Góra, Poland after World War II. Łódź was occupied by Germany a week after the September 1, 1939, invasion of Poland. The city was renamed Litzmannstadt, and in February 1940, approximately 160,000 people from the Jewish population were confined to a small, closed ghetto. All residents had to work, and many became forced laborers in ghetto factories. Eventually, nearly 100 factories were in operation. The major ones produced textiles, including uniforms for the Germany Army. Due to the severe overcrowding and scarce food, disease and starvation were common. The Judenrat (Jewish Council) were forced to administer the ghetto for the Germans. Judenrat chairman, Mordechai Rumkowski, thought hard work and high outputs would preserve the ghetto, but in January 1942, mass deportations to Chelmno killing center began. By the end of the year, half of the residents were murdered. In summer 1944, Łódź, the last ghetto in Poland, was destroyed, and the remaining Jews were sent to Chelmno and Auschwitz-Birkenau killing centers.
Conditions Governing Access
No restrictions on access
Conditions Governing Reproduction
No restrictions on use
Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements
Round, silver-colored metal alarm clock with a domed bell on a small, wire wrapped rod on top, and a metal ring attached to the top. Underneath the bell, on the right, is a small knobbed mechanism, and on the left, extending upward, is a circular bell striker on a thin wire rod. The clock face is white with two parallel sets of numbers running clockwise around the circular perimeter. The inner, larger row is numbered 1-12, and the outer row is numbered 13-24 in a smaller font with four dots between the numbers. In the center, there are two black hands, one short and one long. Above and below the central hands, there are two small, circular, numbered subdials with numbers and a single hand. The upper dial is numbered 1-12, and bears the 8-pointed star Junghans logo at the bottom. The lower is numbered in increments of 10 from 10-60. There are two lines of Polish text in black ink at the center of the face, which is protected by a glass cover. Protruding from the bottom frame are two small, turned metal feet. Engraved on the back is a large, 8-pointed star, with three outlines. Inside the star, there are four rotating knobs used to wind the clock: two circular ones in the middle, and two with T-shaped handles on the sides. There is a sliding knob at the bottom. The metal is rusted, particularly on the bell, there are water stains on the glass and face, and the ink is smudged.
Corporate Bodies
- Litzmannstadt-Getto (Łódź, Poland)
Subjects
- Slave labor--Poland--Łódź.
- Srebrna Góra (Poland)
- World War, 1939-1945--Conscript labor--Poland--Łódź.
- Łódź (Poland)
- Holocaust, Jewish (1939-1945)--Poland.
- Jews--Persecutions--Poland.
- Forced labor--Poland--Łódź.
- Jewish ghettos--Poland--Łódź.
Genre
- Clocks & watches.
- Object
- Personal Equipment and Supplies