{"product_id":"prussian-konigsberg-east-prussia-painted-wood-city-arms-plaque","title":"Prussian Königsberg East Prussia Painted Wood City Arms Plaque","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 0.875rem;\"\u003eA particularly attractive German heraldic wall plaque displaying the historic Stadtwappen (city coat of arms) of Königsberg in Preußen, the former capital of East Prussia. Unlike the heavier cast-metal Königsberg plaque previously cataloged, this example is executed as a dimensional painted wooden relief, giving the Prussian eagle and the three historic city shields considerable depth and an almost sculptural appearance.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe plaque measures approximately 8 inches high by 6 1\/2 inches wide and weighs 8.2 ounces. The composition is mounted to a shield-shaped wooden backing with a naturally finished outer edge. The principal heraldic field is painted silver, while the raised eagle, crowns, shields, and other devices are individually rendered in black, gold, red, white, blue, and green. Tooling and grain remain evident throughout the relief work, lending the piece the character of a hand-finished decorative carving rather than a mass-produced flat heraldic print.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe reverse is unfinished wood and retains a simple recessed hanging arrangement near the upper center, consisting of a transverse metal pin set into an elongated recess. No maker's mark, date, dedication, or ownership inscription is observed.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe heraldic composition is unmistakably that of historic Königsberg. A crowned black Prussian eagle dominates the upper portion of the plaque. Gold-colored details accent the crown, wing ornaments, and royal cypher carried upon the eagle's breast. The cypher represents Friedrich Wilhelm Rex and refers to King Friedrich Wilhelm I of Prussia, under whose authority the three previously independent towns forming Königsberg were united in 1724.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSuspended beneath the eagle are the individual arms of Altstadt, Kneiphof, and Löbenicht, the three medieval communities whose consolidation created the unified city.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAt center is the shield of the Altstadt, literally the “Old Town.” It is divided horizontally into white and red fields, with a red crown above and a white cross below. The crown recalls King Ottokar II of Bohemia, in whose honor Königsberg received its name, while the cross reflects the city's origins under the Teutonic Order.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOn the viewer's left is the green shield of Kneiphof, the island settlement situated in the Pregel River. Its arms depict an arm in a blue sleeve rising from stylized water and holding a gold crown, flanked by two curved hunting horns. Kneiphof developed into one of Königsberg's most important commercial and ecclesiastical districts and was home to the city's cathedral.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOn the viewer's right is the blue shield of Löbenicht, historically also known as Neustadt, or “New Town.” Its arms display a gold crown positioned between two white six-pointed stars.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eUntil the eighteenth century, Altstadt, Kneiphof, and Löbenicht possessed separate municipal governments and distinct heraldic identities. On June 13, 1724, Friedrich Wilhelm I ordered their consolidation into a single city. The three shields were thereafter brought together beneath the Prussian eagle, creating the distinctive compound arms that came to represent Königsberg as a whole.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eKönigsberg occupied an exceptional place in the history of Prussia. Founded in 1255 during the expansion of the Teutonic Order, it later became the capital of the Duchy of Prussia and ultimately the administrative and cultural center of the Province of East Prussia. In 1701, Friedrich III, Elector of Brandenburg, crowned himself Friedrich I, King in Prussia, at Königsberg, an event of enormous importance in the emergence of the Prussian monarchy.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDuring the German Imperial period, Königsberg remained East Prussia's principal city and an important military, governmental, commercial, and intellectual center. Its Albertus-Universität, founded in 1544, was among the historic universities of the German-speaking world and is particularly remembered through its association with philosopher Immanuel Kant, who was born, educated, taught, and died in Königsberg.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe city's history changed irrevocably during the closing stages of the Second World War. Following extensive wartime destruction and the postwar transfer of northern East Prussia to the Soviet Union, Königsberg was renamed Kaliningrad in 1946. Much of the historic German city disappeared or was radically altered. Surviving decorative objects carrying the old Königsberg arms consequently retain considerable interest among collectors of Ostpreußen (East Prussia) and Prussian regional history.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe heraldry represented on this plaque was firmly established long before the end of the Imperial period and continued to symbolize historic Königsberg afterward. The plaque itself, however, bears no dated inscription, maker's mark, or provenance allowing its manufacture to be assigned confidently to the German Imperial era. It should therefore be described as an older Königsberg heraldic display piece without imposing a more precise date than the physical evidence supports.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCondition is very good overall with considerable visual character. The raised wooden relief remains complete and well defined, including the eagle's individually modeled feathers, crowns, shields, stars, cross, horns, and smaller heraldic details. The painted surfaces exhibit scattered rubbing, minor chips, small abrasions, and localized finish loss, particularly along projecting edges and the highest portions of the black eagle. The silver-colored field displays light surface variation and age-related wear. The red, blue, green, white, black, and gold colors remain strong and provide excellent contrast. The wooden backing shows expected edge wear, scratches, handling marks, and natural age toning. The reverse hanging arrangement remains present.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe unusually dimensional execution distinguishes this piece from the more frequently encountered printed or flat souvenir representations of Königsberg's arms. Its combination of carved relief, strong surviving color, and the historically complex three-city heraldry makes it an appealing display piece for a collection devoted to Königsberg, Ostpreußen, the Kingdom of Prussia, Imperial Germany, or historic German municipal heraldry.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Derrittmeister Militaria Group","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50633685795055,"sku":"18-146","price":115.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0662\/9169\/5855\/files\/18-146_1.jpg?v=1787951075","url":"https:\/\/derrittmeister.com\/products\/prussian-konigsberg-east-prussia-painted-wood-city-arms-plaque","provider":"Derrittmeister Militaria Group","version":"1.0","type":"link"}