Karl Goetz Medal – Kienast 300: “Albert Leo Schlageter” (1923) Satirical Medal

Karl Goetz Medal - Kienast 300: "Albert Leo Schlageter" (1923)

One of Karl Goetz's most politically charged and emotionally resonant Ruhr-occupation medals, Kienast 300 commemorates the execution of Albert Leo Schlageter on May 26, 1923, during the French military occupation of the Ruhr. At a time when the German government had called for passive resistance, many activists turned instead to active sabotage—destroying bridges, rail lines, waterways, and French supply routes. These actions intensified tensions and provoked harsh reprisals from French authorities.

Schlageter, a former member of the Freikorps, entered the Ruhr as part of this resistance movement, participating in acts of sabotage interpreted by the French as guerilla warfare. Arrested, tried, and sentenced to death by a French military court, he was executed near Düsseldorf. His death quickly transformed him—across the political spectrum—into a national martyr, symbolizing German defiance during the occupation. Later, extremist groups would seize upon his memory for their own purposes, though Goetz's medal captures the broader sentiment of the era: grief, outrage, and a sense of national violation.

On the obverse, the exergue bears the inscription:

"Glow holy flame, glow. Glow and never stop glowing for the Fatherland."

A dramatic poetic appeal, it frames Schlageter's memory as a torch of patriotic inspiration.

The reverse inscription reads:

"Murdered by the French, May 26, 1923."

A stark, accusatory statement characteristic of Goetz's willingness to confront political events directly and without euphemism.

Cast in 60 mm, the medal is powerful in both form and message—its bold relief and expressive symbolism making it one of Goetz's most intense works related to the occupation crisis.

Key Features:

• Artist: Karl Goetz

• Catalog reference: Kienast 300 / Opus 300

• Title: "Albert Leo Schlageter"

• Year: 1923

• Diameter: 60 mm

• Theme: Ruhr occupation, resistance, martyrdom, Weimar-era propaganda

A dramatic and historically significant medal, Kienast 300 stands as a vivid artifact of the political turmoil of the early 1920s. Highly sought after by collectors of Ruhr-occupation material, Weimar-era art, and the socially charged medallic works of Karl Goetz.