Hitler's working desk

[chen]

Hi Obersalzberg, and welcome among us! If possible, I'm sure many of us would like to see your photos of this desk from the Berlin History Museum, and anything else you found of interest there.

Br. James

Please post in this thread after you receive these photos from Obersalzberg.

[Federico Perez]

Here are two photos of the formal desk in exibition under glass in Germany. I found these in the internet. I always wondered if this desk survived in quite a good shape, do a least one of the Reichschancellery Cabinet meeting room reich eagle embroidery motif chairs survived?

[chen]

Are these the same? If it is just a replica, what is the purpose to exhibit it? If it is the original one and due to its historical reason, it has a point to be displayed. How come it has such good condition, due to restore?

[Br. James]

I see what chen is getting at in comparing the desk photo below provided by Federico with the official photo from the Speer book. What's missing from the desk in the Berlin museum are the ornate marquetry panels which covered all sides, legs and drawer surfaces on the original desk. As chen asks, were these ornate panels removed, either during the "liberation" of the Reichschancellery or later, with the panels replaced by plain wood and the main frame of the desk refinished for display? An interesting question!

Br. James

[kaiserwilhelm2]

Probably just a question of the light while taking the pics in the Berlin museum plus that the pics in book have probably been touched up. Plus the desk is now about 80 years older - wood darkens over time. Hence some difference in colour. I saw it in Berlin myself. IMO same desk, no changes.

[Leroy]

IMO same desk, no changes.

Based on these photos, I would agree. The 3 marquetry panels appear to be across the front of the desk (the side not shown in the museum photos). I can't tell from the "original" photos if those panels also extended to both sides and only the left side (from the front) shows up in the old photos. I'm not convinced that it also shows a design panel or if it is only a trick of the light which makes the viewer assume the decorative panels extended to the sides.

[Federico Perez]

The three decorative panels are at the front only, the desk survived in such a good state of preservation because it was not at Hitlers office at the very end of the war and probably taken to storage to avoid damage during bombing raids in Berlin. Mr Ray Cowdery,author of the superb reference book on the chancellery states that the desk, this same formal desk did indeed survived the war and was not destroyed as was belived and that he was able to inspected in it then storage location wich was Munich....if my memory is correct!

There have been made two "look alike" A.H. desks for movie productions, one was for "Inside the third reich tv series" and the other the german production/semi documentary "hitler and me" also based in Albert Speer relationship with hitler, the set props and stage decoration for hitler office was impresive as well a the reproduction of hitlers beloved architectural scale models of his Germania building program.

[randy@treadways]

Many 1945 "allied" visitors to Hitler's office went right up to the marble map table and assumed it was 'Hitler's marble desk'.

It doesn't take too much logic to understand that this misconclusion was because it was the only table in the room..... the Germans having removed Hitler's 'real' desk before the Russians attacked.

So the provenance puzzle pieces do fit nicely together.

I've seen a wall sconce offered at auction. What else survives from this room? How about the big globe? I've seen a photo of Russian soldiers standing over a globe at the Chancellory, and another picture of one that's been smashed, but I don't know if either of these were the globe from Hitler's office.

When I was looking at four or five 'period' photos of the desk today, I noticed that the phone cord went down over the side of the desk into a sort of retainer clip... but doesn't appear to lead anywhere to a nearby wall. This indicates to me that Speer's team must have designed under-the-floor electrical & communications wiring conduits- just like nice offices would have today (at least until they go wireless). But in 1938 this would be a brand new approach to things and rather forward thinking. Neat and tidy. Most government buildings of that time were all older and had to be retrofitted for electrical & phones, making for a mess of wiring junction boxes and room outlets.
Just an interesting feature that I seem to observe in these photos.

More info on the 'missing' Hitler globe:
http://germspeer.blogspot.com/2009/0...ers-globe.html

[Br. James]

This stimulating conversation inspired me to pull down all of the reference books I have on the New Reichschancellery and I must now agree that the distinctive marquetry panels appear to only be on the front side of the desk, the side opposite the kneehole and drawers. It seems that all of the formal photos of Hitler's Office in the New Reichschancellery -- color as well as b/w -- originate in the coffee-table-sized book published by Eher Verlag circa 1940 and authored by Albert Speer. The dust jacket of this book displays a wonderful color photo of this desk as seen in chen's note #1 in this thread and reprinted in Pawley 2009 p.72, Cowdery 2003 p.45 and Cowdery 1987 p.26, while Arndt 2002 includes the similar b/w view of this desk also in chen's note #1. All five referenced sources include the color view from behind the desk looking across the vast room as seen in chen's note #19. The light-colored inset panels on the drawer facings, outer legs and sides appear to be rendered in the same color as the three marquetry panels on the front side, and that makes these panels look the same. Perhaps, due to age and exposure, these lighter panels have darkened, causing them to appear to be almost as dark as the mahogany-colored frame of the desk. Again, a fascinating thread!

Br. James

[randy@treadways]

I've seen two different color views from behind the desk, with the chairs positioned slightly different.

One other thing I noticed years ago when I got the Speer book you mention. For the photos behind the desk, somebody chose to remove the lamp from Hitler's desk. For the photos facing the desk, there's a lamp there.
Why did they remove the lamp for the behind-the-desk photos? I have no idea. Maybe it blocked the view of the far corner of the room, where the globe was located.

[corporalSteiner]

in a sense this story shows what monkeys there are in control of exhibits in world war museums. that a complete view of this displayed table is impossible for museum visitors shows an example of this damagingly amateurish decision making by the custodians of such unique artifacts. at least in the british museum you can walk around a mummy.

[randy@treadways]

Looks like one can view the desk from either side and, unless it's pushed up to the wall, get a view of those panels on the 'front' of the desk.
It may be that the panels are damaged or missing.
Can one of you in the Berlin area visit the museum and see if you can get a photo through the glass from the side, showing us how much, if any, of those fancy panels are visible?



By the way, here's that other color photo. I was wrong- this one does show the lamp on the desk.

[Obersalzberg]

The panels are there Randy, however the museum cannot understand the significance of Speers precious wood inlays... I can just spy them down the side. They may be turning it around, but wouldnt hold my breath.
I sent Chen some similar pics I took today, but not of the front

[randy@treadways]

The information I've seen is that the desk design was from a sketch by Speer, but the inlay triptych was done by Hermann Kaspar, who also did wood inlays and marble mosaics in many other parts of the New Chancellory.

If they could just find a way to move the desk about six inches away from the wall, and put a mirror on the wall, then everybody could enjoy the craftsmanship of the work.

[Federico Perez]

There also a picture showing a quite "fancy" lamp at the desk and marble maps review table, the design is not quite "neoclassical" in style and probably was change with the one in these pictures which is more in tone with the office formal and elegant style. I will try to locate the picture and post it.