It is not often that I run across a German medal that I have never heard of and can not find listed in any reference book. These Hagen Notopfer medals of 1949 are one of those medals. Hagen is a German city in the Rhineland 30 miles north-east of Dusseldorf. The reason that they are not listed in my military medals books is that these are most certainly fund raising medals. As far as I know there was no disaster in the city of Hagen in 1949 but there was a national effort to raise money to aid the sick and starving citizens of West Berlin during and after the Soviet blockade of 1948-49 made so famous by the Allied Berlin Airlift. This must be the reason for the issue of these medals too. Each medal depicts a nursing sister supporting an emaciated male figure with two buildings in the background above the divided date 19-49 which forms a cross shape reminding one of the Red Cross. All within the legend “NOTOPFER DER STADT HAGEN.” The reverse has a modern style squared oak tree which is the Hagen city coat of arms. The wide v shaped loop probably means that the medal was intended to be worn on a neck chain. The medals I have are in 34mm and 50mm diameters and are in bronze and silver washed bronze. Hagen was probably not the only city to have issued such medals.
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Quite Interesting
Great looking Medal of that era. Thanks for sharing this with us.
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Hi Fred,
"As far as I know there was no disaster in the city of Hagen in 1949 ..."
See the English Wikipedia:
"On the night of 1 October 1943, 243 Lancasters and 8 Mosquitos from the Royal Air Force's Bomber Command attacked the city. ... Severe damage was caused"
German Wikipedia:
"Im Verlauf des Zweiten Weltkriegs wurde die Hagener Innenstadt durch mehrere Bombenangriffe nahezu vollständig zerstört." > the city center was nearly completely destroyed...
They had their own problems in Hagen!
And yes, several cities had "Notopfer" medals.
You can find these Hagen medals here in Germany for 10 Euros and higher.
UweComment
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Thanks Uwe, but that was 1943 and this medal is dated 1949, would they have issued a medal so long afterwards?Comment
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Fred,
Here is what the DHM has to say about these medals.
"Federal Republic Medal, emergency levy to rebuild the city of Hagen".
Regards,
GordonComment
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Fred,
at the end of the war the city centre was almost completely destroyed.
There had been 3 severe air raids in 1945, the last mid March 1945 (15./16.03.).
http://www.historisches-centrum.de/index.php?id=418
UweComment
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Very nice Notopfer from my hometown
But Hagen is not in the Rhineland ;-) Hagen is in Westfalen ca.12 miles south of Dortmund.
I have this medal in a case
Last edited by Patrick08/15; 01-14-2013, 01:53 PM.Comment
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Patrick08/15,
Nice to see the medal in its case.
Regards,
GordonComment
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Thanks everyone. I appreciate the help.Comment
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