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26-778: The idea for the Nail Men came from the Stock im Eisen in Vienna , a tree-trunk which had had nails hammered into it for centuries. The first Nail Man, a medieval knight, was set up in Vienna and was first nailed on 6 March 1915 in a public ceremony attended by many dignitaries, including members of the imperial household and the German and Ottoman ambassadors. They were promoted as a patriotic fund-raising method in German-speaking parts of

52-402: A black (iron) nail cost 1 mark, a silver nail hammered into the border, 3 marks, a nail in the '1914' inscription, 5 marks, in the 'W' for Kaiser Wilhelm, 10 marks, and in the crown at the top of the cross, 20 marks; in the case of the 'Iron Siegfried' at Wiesbaden , iron nails cost 1 mark, silver-coated, 5–20 marks, and gilded up to 300 marks, with further donations possible; in the case of

78-650: A further source of funds. An iron cross was a popular choice of form, perhaps the most popular; it was specifically recommended by Fitzke and Matzdorf, who state that it would require 160–200 nails. Other common shapes were shields and coats of arms, but animals, flowers and ships (including U-boats ) were also nailed. The figures in human form typically were knights in armour but sometimes depicted modern soldiers or historical and legendary figures. In addition to Hindenburg, Admiral Tirpitz , Rupprecht, Crown Prince of Bavaria and General Otto von Emmich were depicted as Nail Men. Donations were usually collected to assist

104-503: A large patriotic ceremony including hymns and specially written patriotic poems which often evoked the Age of Chivalry; Fitzke and Matzdorf provide a suggested ceremony in 24 parts. Clubs, school classes, and so on performed group nailing; there were even nailings at the front. German-Americans and Austrian-Americans also collected money by means of Nail Men, until the entry of the US into the war on

130-403: A large tree trunk that stands in one corner with an iron fence around it. The trunk is covered with iron nails so tight from the root up that one could not get room for even a needle between. It is a peculiar sight and this is the legend: Once upon a time there was a castle nearby with a gatelock that was so intricate that even another kleinsmith could not take it apart or unlock it. In the honor of

156-451: A locksmith's apprentice who stole a valuable nail from his master, or wanted to marry his master's daughter, learnt from the Devil how to make an unopenable lock with which to enclose it, and in one version also an identical nail to hammer in beside the stolen one. However, the details of the legends betray their lack of truth. The padlock which guides to Vienna often refer to as "unopenable"

182-527: Is as a votive offering , similar to throwing coins into a wishing well or a pond. In the Middle Ages, nails were a valuable commodity that people did not waste. The original mythico-religious and legal significance of the Stock im Eisen was effaced in later centuries by an emphasis on crafts. Leopold Schmidt suggested that the tree was originally used as a surveying point defining the "mythic centre" of

208-399: Is only for show, and cannot be opened simply because the insides of the lock are no longer there and so it will not accept a key. Already in 1533 it is referred to as Stock der im Eisen liegt , "staff that lies in irons". In addition, the well known legend recounts that a thief hammered a stolen nail into the tree as he was fleeing through the forest. Admittedly, the tree was certainly outside

234-600: Is still used to raise money for charity as well as at weddings, for the newlyweds to display their skills to those present. Stock im Eisen The Stock im Eisen ( German : "staff in iron") is the midsection of a tree-trunk from the Middle Ages , a so-called nail-tree ( Nagelbaum ), into which hundreds of nails have been pounded for good luck over centuries. It is located in Vienna , Austria , in Stock-im-Eisen-Platz, now part of Stephansplatz , at

260-539: Is the city museum of Munich . It was founded in 1888 by Ernst von Destouches. It is located in the former municipal arsenal and stables, both buildings of the late Gothic period. The exhibition includes among many other artworks the famous gothic Morris dancers , created by Erasmus Grasser for the festival hall of the Old Town Hall , and the original puttos of the Mary's Column . This exhibitions explains

286-530: The Allied side. In York, Pennsylvania , the same fundraising method was used with the opposite meaning: people paid 10 cents to drive a nail into the head of a statue of the kaiser with a red, white and blue handled hammer. Florian Dering , a museologist at the Munich Stadtmuseum , describes a nailing game called Nagelbalken , which became popular after World War I in German-speaking countries and

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312-720: The Austro-Hungarian Empire and also in the German Empire, including by publications such as Gotthold Riegelmann's Der Stock in Eisen: praktische Ratschläge zur Errichtung einfacher Nagelholzmale mit Ideenskizzen und Kostenberechnungen (The Stock im Eisen: practical advice on the erection of simple wooden monuments for nailing with sketched ideas and cost calculations) and Benno Fitzke and Paul Matzdorf's Eiserne Kreuz-Nagelungen zum Besten der Kriegshilfe und zur Schaffung von Kriegswahrzeichen (Iron cross nailings for

338-527: The Hindenburg statue in Berlin, gold nails cost 100 marks, silver and black cost 5 marks, and grey 1 mark; for donations over 500 marks, a small plaque was nailed to the sword. Donations were often recorded in an 'Iron Book', for example at Heidelberg, and the donor often received a lapel pin, a certificate, or some other token of the donation. Medallions, postcards and other associated merchandise were sold as

364-581: The best benefit of war aid and for the creation of war monuments). They have been seen as "fit[ting] in much more closely with Protestant celebrations of the Prussian military genius and the grandeur of the Kaiserreich " than with Austrian Catholicism. Municipalities and charitable organisations, either specially founded associations or the Red Cross , had a statue or other emblem made out of wood (oak

390-406: The city walls in 1440, but the legend only appeared in the 17th century, when the area was already urban and the Stock im Eisen mounted on the side of a house, and hence is presumably pure invention. The legends of the Devil and the Stock im Eisen are the subject of an 1880 ballet by Pasquale Borri, to music by Franz Doppler . A modern legend holds that the Stock im Eisen is a replica and that

416-457: The city. Many legends surround the Stock im Eisen, mostly dating to the 17th and 18th centuries. In 1703 it was said to be the last remaining tree from the ancient forest; the 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica says it is the last of a sacred grove around which the city sprang up. One legend recounts that the Devil himself put the tree trunk in irons, or at least guards it. Another tells that

442-534: The corner of the Graben and Kärntner Straße and is now behind glass on a corner of the Palais Equitable . The trunk section is 2.19 m (7 feet 2 inches) tall and is held in place by five iron bands; the iron bears the date 1575 and the initials HB, presumably for Hans Buettinger, the house owner who had the iron replaced. The tree was a forked spruce which started to grow around 1400 and

468-728: The former Austro-Hungarian Empire ; the Vienna Stock im Eisen is the oldest preserved nail tree. The custom persisted until the late 19th century, and inspired the " men of iron " statues that were used for propaganda and fund-raising in Germany and Austria in World War I , particularly the tree set up in Freiburg . The most likely explanation for the medieval nails is the ancient custom of hammering nails into crosses, trees and even rocks for protection or in gratitude for healing, that

494-448: The history of the former "Hauptstadt der Bewegung" (Capital of the [Nazi] Movement). More than 2.000 musical instruments from Africa, America, Asia and Europe belong to this grand collection. This collection displays the cultural history of the puppet theatre. The Fotomuseum was founded in 1963 and owns already more than 500.000 photographs. The museum with its large archive shows weekly screenings and has once become well known for

520-746: The legend by the same artist on the doors. In the 18th century, a custom developed that travelling smiths and apprentices would hammer a nail into the tree trunk; in particular, from 1715 on, travelling journeyman locksmiths . The reason for doing so before then is unknown; however, it is unlikely to have been a craft guild custom in the beginning, because the Stock im Eisen is significantly older. "Nail trees" are well known in Southeastern Europe and are found in many cities in Hungary , Romania (in Transylvania ) and other countries of

546-441: The lock and in his memory every journeyman kleinsmith who found work in Vienna had to hammer a nail into the trunk. It had been there for many a year and was still worth seeing being protected as it is by local pride." 48°12′28″N 16°22′18″E  /  48.2079°N 16.3717°E  / 48.2079; 16.3717 Munich Stadtmuseum The Munich Stadtmuseum (German: "Münchner Stadtmuseum") or Munich City Museum ,

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572-517: The original – or at least parts of it – is exhibited in the Vienna Museum . This is not true; the tree trunk has neither been divided up nor replicated in recent times. A commentary about this trunk was given in 1856 by Theodore Nielsen, a Danish kleinsmith journeyman in his memoirs. "Outside Stefan church was a place called "Stock im Eisen" and a boutique in which was a large portrait of a Danish King Frederick VI . The park gets its name from

598-416: The wounded or for widows and orphans of the fallen. But in some cases, for example at Schwäbisch Gmünd , they were intended to help supply front soldiers; in the winter of 1916, the need was particularly great. The statues were usually prominently displayed and there was considerable social pressure to show patriotism by buying nails. The first nail was generally ceremonially driven by an important personage at

624-413: Was built on the site in 1891, incorporates the Stock im Eisen in a niche. It stands on a base made of Czech hornblende granite. Wrought iron vines were added, and the building has Zum Stock-im-Eisen (At the Stock im Eisen) carved above the door and a bronze sculpture group of locksmith apprentices and the tree trunk, by Rudolf Weyr , in the tympanum . In addition, there are a pair of representations of

650-399: Was felled in approximately 1440, as was revealed by examination in 1975. There was regrowth in the middle of the trunk after blows from an axe. The first nails were inserted while the tree was still alive (thus before 1440). The first written mention of it dates to 1533; in 1548, it was already located on the wall of a house in what became Stock-im-Eisen-Platz. The Palais Equitable, which

676-632: Was sometimes recommended), sometimes by well known sculptors, such as the medieval knight Wehrmann in Eisen by Mathieu Molitar on the Naschmarkt in Leipzig . The nails which the donor could use depending on the level of the donation could be iron, or silver- or gold-plated. The placement of the nail also reflected the level of the donation. For example, in the case of the Iron Cross at Heidelberg ,

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