1938 Beteiligungs-Urkunde – Reichsberufswettkampf aller schaffenden Deutschen

Original Beteiligungs-Urkunde for participation in the Reichsberufswettkampf aller schaffenden Deutschen (National Vocational Competition of all Working Germans), issued in Berlin in April 1938. The certificate is beautifully printed in the characteristic period Gothic style and records that the named recipient had earned the document through participation in the Reichsberufswettkampf aller schaffenden Deutschen.

The document is print signed by Obergebietsführer Artur Axmann, who served as Leiter des Reichsberufswettkampfes. Contemporary sources identify Axmann as the head of the Reichsberufswettkampf in 1938, and contemporary reporting confirms that the 1938 competition was expanded beyond the earlier youth competitions to encompass the wider working population.

The Reichsberufswettkampf was a large-scale vocational competition organized jointly through the Deutsche Arbeitsfront (DAF) and Hitlerjugend (HJ) structures. It was intended to test and promote vocational skills and performance, with competitions progressing through local, Gau and Reich levels. By 1938 the event had developed into a major nationwide competition involving workers from numerous professions.

Particularly interesting is the April 1938 date, placing the certificate at the height of the Reichsberufswettkampf’s development under Axmann. The 1938 Reich competition culminated in Hamburg, where the winners were announced and the specially produced certificates and winner badges were presented. Contemporary reports specifically identify Obergebietsführer Axmann as Leiter des Reichsberufswettkampfes.

Condition

Original period document with two filing holes along the left edge, light age-related toning and minor handling/storage wear. The attractive printed design remains very well preserved, with the original handwritten recipient entry and Axmann signature clearly visible.