The Nazi Eagles of Berlin

Reichsadler. The word (unfairly) conjures up images of a Nazi Eagle and the Third Reich. Yet the Eagle as a symbol of Power has existed in the Germanic Realm for centuries. The Reichsadler (the Imperial Eagle) made its first Heraldic Appearance on the Banner of the Holy Roman Empire under Karl dem Großen aka Charlemagne. From that point on his various successors – as well as the Imperial Cities attributed their flags with the Reichsadler.

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The Reichsadler – From Teutonic Order to the German Empire

The privilege to use the Reichsadler wasn’t solely bestowed on the Reichsstädte (the Imperial Cities). The Teutonic Order – granted by Emperor Frederick II. – was allowed the privilege of using the Reichsadler in their Coat of Arms. When the Teutonic Order was transformed into the Duchy of Prussia in 1525, it took over its Heraldic symbols.

deutscher reichsadler 900 -1525 — From left to right: Coat of arms of the Staufen Holy Roman Emperors (1155) (Copyright / Drawing created by David Liuzzo) Flag of the Teutonic Order (13th Century) (Image by Piom / CC BY-SA 2.5), Flag of the Duchy of Prussia (1466) (Image by Guilherme Paula /CC BY-SA 3.0

The German Reichsadler survived throughout the turbulent years of the Holy Roman Empire (of Germanic Nations) until it was dissolved in 1806. The empire didn’t survive Napoleons victory, but the Reichsadler did. It wasn’t until 1848 when the German States revolted and were seeking national unity, that the Imperial Eagle became a prominent symbol again.

20 years later, thanks to Bismarcks “Kleindeutsch Lösung” (unifying the Kingdom of Prussia with the Northern German States) the Prussian Reichsadler became the Heraldic Symbol of the German Empire in 1871. After facing defeat in WWI and mounting social and political pressure, the German Emperor abdicated in 1918 and the Empire transformed into the Weimar Republic (yet still officially being called Deutsches Reich).

Interestingly enough, the variations of the Prussian flag can be found on the facade of a building (whose original purpose is yet to be revealed to me) dating back to the mid to late 1930s. A minor detail worth pointing out is that it seems like the last eagle might be holding the sword and the scepter in the wrong talons.

A new Reichsadler for the Weimar Republic

To reflect this Political Shift, the Flag and Coat of arms were changed, adopting the German tricolor which had been created by the Frankfurt Constitution in 1849. Picking up where the Frankfurt Constitution left off, Emil Doepler designed a new German Crest creating a modernised Reichsadler (cutting off one of the two heads) and changing the colors to match German Tricolor. Freidrich Ebert, President of the German Reich declared the design to be the Official Coat of Arms on the 12th of November 1919.

In 1926, a new Coat of Arms was created by the graphic designer Karl-Tobias Schwab. This Reichswappen replaced the previous version by Doepler in 1928. If you’re beginning to think – “wow, that looks a lot like todays Bundesadler!” – you’re right, because it is! Doepler’s design became the Reichsschild which was used from then on as the pennant for government vehicles.

deutscher reichsadler 1888 -1935 — From left to right: Reichsadler of the German Empire (1888) (Copyright / Drawing created by David Liuzzo), Reichsadler of the Weimar Republic (1919) (Image by David Liuzzo / CC BY-SA 2.5), Coat of arms of the Weimar Republic (1926) by Karl-Tobias Schwab

Two eagles for the Nazis

After the Nazis were elected into power in 1933, the Prussian Reichsadler received the Swastika as an addendum. The Nazi Party had their own version of the Reichsadler, the “Parteiadler”, which was more prominently displayed throughout the years. In 1935, one year after Adolf Hitler’s coronation as Führer – the Nazi Party declared the stylised version of the Parteiadler as the new Reichsadler.

In the beginning, there wasn’t a unified or regulated style for the Reichsadler. Dozens of different versions, even within the same Departments and Ministries appeared. To ensure the full control of its symbols, the NSDAP enacted the “gleichschaltung der symbole” in 1936. This officially regulated how the Reichsadler appeared, and anyone who wished to use the Eagle with the Swastika now had to apply for permission. This mean that:

All Eagles affiliated with the State look towards the Left
The Parteiadler – the Party Eagle looks to the Right

The notable exception to the rule was the Wehrmacht. All Eagles of the Wehrmacht, “out of solidarity to the NSDAP” were allowed to keep facing Right, though with the stipulation that the eagle had to be perched on a wreath and its wings spread. Or so the myth goes.

Partei und Reichsadler des Nationalsozialismus — Reich and Party insignia of Nazi Germany (1936) (Image created by NsMn)

The most popular myth as to why the “Parteiadler” faces to the Right – is because it apparently represents the “back” of the Reichsadler, cementing the hegemony of Party and State. Despite the “gleichschaltung der symbole” in 1936, various styles of the Eagle kept on appearing until 1944.

From Reichsadler to Bundesadler

With the collapse of yet another German Reich, all (affiliated) symbols of the Nazi Party and Third Reich were declared illegal. With the creation of (West) Germany, the German state adopted the Flag used during the Weimar Republic. In 1950, President Theodor Heuss officially reinstated the Weimarer Reichsadler, now titled Bundesadler, to create an ideological connection to the values of the Weimar Republic – and to prevent East Germany from laying any claim to it. Along with the Flag, the Eagle designed by Schwab and the eagle designed by Doepel was carried over to the newly founded Bundesrepublik.

deutscher bundesadler 1950 — The Bundesadler by Karl-Tobias Schwab (1950), Bundesschild der Bundesrepublik Deutschland (1950) (Image by David Liuzzo), Bundesadler (2006)

Wandering through Berlin, you are constantly reminded of its history. Regardless if you stroll through the Royal Charlottenburg, the Industrial Reinickendorf, or the Hipster Mitte, if you pay close enough attention you will always find a trace of Germanys Imperial Past. Reichsadler can be found everywhere, but most of them date back to the 19th Century.

By off-chance I wandered past the Finanzamt (Tax Office) in Charlottenburg and had to do a double take. Right above the door was a massive Reichsadler. One from the Third Reich. The Swastika had been removed and subtly replaced with a house number. Practical Germans.

This peaked my interest, I was curious to see how many “Nazi Eagles” were left in Berlin. After scouring the city for several weeks I’ve compiled a (what I believe to be far from complete) list of the remaining Reichsadler of the Third Reich in Berlin. It is very interesting to note that all the Eagles I’ve discovered so far have been located in what was once West-Berlin. Seems like the Western Allies had less of a problem with the rather obvious remnants of the Third Reich. Check out the Map at the bottom of the Article to see where they are located.

All newly added eagles will always be added to the bottom of the list

As our list of Nazi Eagles outside of Berlin, specifically in Brandenburg is steadily growing, we’ve decided to decouple them from this list, and give them their own separate article: The Nazi Eagles of Brandenburg. To keep things simple, we have added their locations into the same map as the Nazi Eagles in Berlin.

Disclaimer

If an address is not given for an Eagle, it is done so on purpose (though this only applies to 3 eagles). If you do have a question regarding one of the publicly listed locations ask away. If you know of an Eagle that we’ve missed out on, feel free to leave a comment so we can continue to complete the list. For those counting, as of August 2022, there are a total of 34 locations with Eagles dating back to the third reich (though there are more individual eagles than that).

It goes without saying that our interest in these Eagles/Symbols is purely historical, and in no way do we condone or support any fascist or racist ideology.