This soldier's flask was discovered in 2006 by Polish search engines at the site of a German concentration camp in the city of Czersk (during the First World War it was the territory of Prussia). At first, the find did not stand out in anything special: an ordinary aluminum flask, which was an indispensable element of a fighter's equipment. However, when the artifact was cleared of dirt, a drawing made with extraordinary art appeared on the front side. An unknown artist engraved a love scene: a man and his lover tenderly hug each other. A beautiful woman with long curly hair clung to her gentleman and holds his hand.
From research by the Institute of Archeology and Ethnology of the Polish Academy of Sciences.
“The hand of the master is felt here, the carving was applied using several different techniques,” says David Kobialka, an employee of the Institute of Archeology and Ethnology of the Polish Academy of Sciences. “Thanks to this, we can see many important details. For example, a small mustache, which the man, apparently, very carefully looked after. On his head is a hat, which the Cossacks wore both in wartime and in peacetime. We see such a headdress in photographs of Russian prisoners of war in Czersk, which were made by the Germans. Most likely, the artist depicted not an abstract picture, but himself and his beloved. The woman is dressed in expensive and beautiful clothes, but, unlike her lover, she appears to us barefoot. There are three strands of large beads on her neck. For a couple in love, a picturesque landscape: arable land, hills, bushes - in general, a rural idyllic landscape …
On the reverse side of the flask there are several lines written in Cyrillic: "Memory of the European War of 1914-15-16-1917. The memory of captivity was taken near Kortsyanov on April 15, 1915". In addition, a monogram of the letters "O" and the Latin "R" are carved on the back. These are probably the initials of the owner of the flask. The analysis showed that the letter O was cut out earlier, most likely this is the first letter of the name, and the surname begins with P.
From research by the Institute of Archeology and Ethnology of the Polish Academy of Sciences.
This is an artifact of extraordinary emotional power, according to the Polish researcher of the find. Judging by the dates, the Cossack spent a long time in the concentration camp, the last date is 1917. This means that at least more than one and a half years have passed since the moment he was captured. He probably longed for his beloved and spent many hours to cut out a picture with such a careful drawing that would connect him with a past life. This is not so easy, given that the living conditions were very difficult, unsanitary conditions reigned in the camp, the prisoners were starving, while they were actively used for forced labor (they built the camp and worked hard on the Prussian landowners).
The further fate of the soldier with the initials O. and R., apparently, was tragic. Most likely, he died during an epidemic of typhoid fever that raged in the Chersky concentration camp in 1917-1918. According to various estimates, over the 5 years of the camp's existence, from 4993 to 8503 prisoners of war died there. Otherwise, it is difficult to explain why the artist parted with his flask, which was so dear to him. In addition, we know that the belongings of people who died from infectious diseases were buried or destroyed in order to prevent the spread of the epidemic. Apparently, the flask made this sad journey.
100 years have passed since the flask, through the efforts of a prisoner of war Russian soldier, turned into a work of art. But she immortalized the feelings of two lovers from our distant past. Scientists do not lose hope of finding the descendants of the Russians Romeo and Juliet during the First World War. There are, of course, little chances for this, the past century was stormy for our country. But there is little hope. Cossack, metal carver, artist, initials OR, date of capture, location of the concentration camp - there are still some clues.
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Maybe some of the readers will recognize the biographical data of their great-grandfather in the description? If you find any matches, write to us at [email protected]. The terrible and difficult history of the XX will become closer and clearer to us when we see the fate of people behind dates, documents and numbers.
YAROSLAV KOROBATOV