Commemorative medal

In 1865, Szczecin was a significant exhibition centre. At the General Exhibition of Crafts and Industry, organised on the initiative of the Pomeranian Economic Society, over 1400 exhibitors from Germany, England, France, Russia and the Netherlands presented their achievements. The support of the Prussian government, especially the heir to the throne, Prince Frederick William, was precious. Although the exhibition lasted two months and attracted crowds of visitors, it ended with a financial deficit. Cash prizes, diplomas and medals were awarded during it. The presented medal was minted in the Berlin medal-making workshop of Gottfried Bernhard Loss. Its authors, Emil Schilling and August Mertens, produced a composition of straightforward style, with an inscription surrounded by a laurel and oak wreath and an effigy of the heir to the throne with the title. The depiction of Friedrich Wilhelm, the future German Emperor and King of Prussia, Frederick III (1831-1888), on the medal connected his involvement in cultural activities. After his stay in London in 1851 at the Great World Exhibition of Industry, the Prince became a patron of similar undertakings in his country. It is worth mentioning that his portrait with his wife, Victoria of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld, a daughter of British Queen Victoria, appeared on the medal of the agricultural exhibition in Cologne, which took place simultaneously with the exhibition in Szczecin.

Genowefa Horoszko