Objekt des Monats
Jedes Objekt in der Sammlung des Deutschen Auswandererhauses erzählt eine ganz persönliche Auswanderungs- oder Einwanderungsgeschichte. In dieser Rubrik stellen wir Ihnen jeden Monat ein anderes Objekt vor – eine Fotografie, ein Dokument oder ein persönliches Erinnerungsstück.
June 2018
Travel brochure from 1956
Historical context
The image shows a Swedish travel brochure for the municipality of Mora in the province of Dalarna from the year 1956. On the front of the brochure, alongside historical buildings that can be visited in Mora, there is also a rider in traditional Swedish attire on a ‘Dalahäst’, a horse from Dalarna. The Dala horse is a stylized wooden horse from this region and has become part of Swedish popular culture over time. It is a wooden figure decorated in vibrant colors. The municipality of Mora remains the main place for the production of the Dala horse. From Mora, it has been and continues to be shipped worldwide. The province of Dalarna is considered by anthropologists and ethnologists as the origin region for the development of Swedish traditions and customs – including the internationally renowned Midsummer festival. ‘Midsommar’ – as it is called in Swedish – is celebrated on the calendar’s longest day of the year, June 24th. On this day, the sun does not set in the northern part of Scandinavia, including Dalarna. Since June 24th is not a public holiday, the Swedes celebrate ‘midsommardag’ on a Saturday, which must fall between June 20th and 26th. The folk festival lasts for two days, starting on Friday with Midsummer Eve, which translates to ‘midsommerafton’. The day’s events include intangible rituals, such as dances and songs, as well as tangible ones, like adorning and erecting a tree trunk known as ‘majstång’. Midsummer is the largest celebration in Sweden alongside Christmas. This Swedish tradition is increasingly being adopted outside of Sweden, as it is said: ‘Midsommar är för alla människor!’ – Midsummer is for all people, as it has turned away from its originally pagan and religious values over the years and today celebrates community togetherness.
Short biography
Hans Weil was born on June 11, 1902, in Frankfurt am Main as the only son of his Jewish parents. He studied physics, philosophy, and psychology, among other subjects, in Frankfurt and Heidelberg. In the 1920s, he moved to Paris to pursue another interest through formal study: art. To escape the Nazi dictatorship and the antisemitic and homophobic sentiments prevalent in Europe, he emigrated from France to neutral Sweden in 1933. He initially settled in Stockholm and later moved to Skåne, Malmö. Hans Weil was known for his language aptitude, allowing him to quickly master Swedish and navigate everyday life.
Significance of the object
Before and after his emigration to Sweden, Hans Weil collected a variety of travel brochures, including the informational brochure for the city of Mora. Initially, the collection of brochures served as a decision-making aid for which country he should emigrate to in order to flee the impending Nazi regime. However, his passion for collecting travel brochures continued beyond the time of emigration.
Do You Also Have …
… a story of emigration or immigration in your family that you would like to share with the German Emigration Center together with the related objects and documents for its collection? Then please contact Dr. Tanja Fittkau by phone at +49 471 / 90 22 0 – 0
or by e-mail at: t.fittkau@dah-bremerhaven.de