12. Deutsches Turnfest in Leipzig 12-16 Juli 1913

By Michael Finney
Pennsylvania Keysteiners

This colorful and impressive Official 1L Deutsches Turnfest stein with the German imperial eagle and the 4F insignia was designed by Franz Ringer. His initials are on the lower right front by the date of 1913. It was created for the 12th German Turnfest held in Leipzig Germany from July 12-15, 1913. It is a transfer with hand painted white highlights, and you can really feel the highlights. The pewter lid also has the 4F symbol which stands for “Frisch, Fromm, Froehlich and Frei” and translates as Fresh (in body and soul) Godfearing, happy and free. The lid also has GUT HEIL or Good Health. There is no manufactures mark but based upon the 1L capacity mark it was made by Marzi and Remy.

The first Turnfest was held 1860 in Coberg. But the 3rd in 1863 and the 12th in 1913 were both in Leipzig 50 years apart. Those dates are incorporated into the front design. The commemorative bronze medal also has the dates, and it is 2” wide.

With 1.3 million members, the gymnasts were the largest social/cultural community in Germany. This particular Turnfest was held on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the Battle of Leipzig. In total, the number of official festival participants was 280,089, including 62,572 gymnasts.