Heinrich Hoffmann (1885 – 1957) served as Adolf Hitler’s official photographer from when Hitler took control of the Nazi party in 1921 until his death in 1945. Hoffmann estimates he took over half a million photographs of Hitler over the course of his career. His portraits were the most significant source of Nazi propaganda materials published over the course of close to 25 years, everything from postcards, posters, magazines, postage stamps and picture books. Click on eachtheme below to see a complete photo albumdevoted to that particular event or topic.
This is an album of photographs from Adolf Hitler’s visit to Landsberg fortress on the 8th of October in 1934. Hitler was imprisoned for nine months at Landsberg for his part in the failed Beer Hall Putsch in Munich on 9 November 1923. The prison continued to function as a penal facility after Adolf Hitler’s incarceration there in 1924 until his rise to power in 1933. For the first six years of the Nazi regime, the structure served as a memorial to Hitler’s incarceration and became a popular pilgrimage site. More than 100,000 visitors a year came to the prison, which also served to host ceremonies of the Hitler Youth. The prison was later used to incarcerate and execute prisoners convicted of war crimes after the end of World War II.
Adolf Hitler pays a visit to the Landsberg prison ten years after his release on 8 October 1934. A print from Adolf Hitler. Bilder aus dem Leben des Führers, Hamburg: Cigaretten/Bilderdienst Hamburg/Bahrenfeld, 1936
Below are two of Heinrich Hoffmann’s most famous photographs of Adolf Hitler, seen side-by-side, Hitler on 12 April 1924 while serving his prison sentence in Landsberg Fortress and in the same pose ten years later when he revisited his old cell on 8 October 1934. Hitler was imprisoned here for 264 days and began his dictation of ‘Mein Kampf’ to Rudolf Hess in this prison cell.
Hoffmann also recreated the iconic photograph of Adolf Hitler standing out in front of Landsberg prison upon his release 10 years earlier on 20 December 1924.
Besuch in der Festung Landsberg, zehn Jahre nach der Festungshaft. Der Führer mit seinen alten Kanpfgenossen Schaub (links) und Maurice (rechts).
On the left, Adolf Hitler, wearing a hat and lederhosen, takes his daily walk along the prison inner wall with his prison mate and first chauffer Emil Maurice in 1924. On the right, Hitler visits the exact same site 10 years later in October 1934 with Maurice and his adjutant (and former prison mate) Julius Schaub. (left – Otto Lurker, “Hitler hinter Festungsmauern,” Berlin, 1933; right – Hoffmann postcard1934).
Hitler in Landsberg, 1934 (info.: Bavaria, Germany Adolf Hitler welcomed in 1934, 10 years after his detention, the prison guard who held him behind bars at that time in the fortress of Landsberg am Lech. SS Colonel Julius Schaub (2nd from left) and Emil Maurice (right), both inmates of Hitler accompany him. Adolf Hitler in Landsberg, 1934. Adolf Hitler welcomed in 1934, 10 years after his detention, by the prison guard who held him behind bars at that time in the fortress of Landsberg am Lech.Adolf Hitler welcomed in 1934, 10 years after his detention, by the prison guard who held him behind bars at that time in the fortress of Landsberg am Lech.On 8 October 1934, 10 years after his release, the Führer visited the Landsberg am Lech Feltungshaft prison and then spent half an hour visiting the Cafe Deible in the town of Landsberg.Heinrich Hoffmann Postcard “Führer Adolf Hitler besucht die Festungsanstalt Landsberg, Cafe Deible” Note the packages of Sarotti Schokolade (Sarotti Chocolate) on a display behind him.
On 16 April 1936, Adolf Hitler visited Landsberg am Lech again, and spent 15 minutes in his former cell at Landsberg Prison right after visiting the nearby construction site on Neue Bergstraße (“Reichsmusterstraße”).
Landsberg Photos 1924
These are photographs taken in August of 1924 when Hoffmann snuck his camera in during one of his visits to Hitler while serving his time at Landsberg.
Adolf Hitler, Emil Maurice, First Lieutenant Hermann Kriebel, Rudolf Hess, and Friedrich Weber are pictured during their imprisonment in the fortress Landsberg am Lech after the unsuccessful attempted coup of 1923.Adolf Hitler in the Landsberg Prison common room with (from left) Rudolf Hess, Hermann Kriebel, Hermann Fobke and Dr. Friedrich Weber. During their imprisonment, Fobke acted as Hitler’s correspondence secretary, communicating by letter with various Party leaders throughout Germany, and went on to serve as Gauleiter of Gau Hanover-South after serving his prison term.Adolf Hitler, Emil Maurice, First Lieutenant Hermann Kriebel, Rudolf Hess, and Friedrich Weber are pictured during their imprisonment in the fortress Landsberg am Lech after the unsuccessful attempted coup of 1923.Adolf Hitler in prison in Landsberg. Adolf Hitler with a laurel wreath of the ancient winners, full of symbolism, hanging on the wall in his cell in the prison in Landsberg am Lech, where he served his sentence shortly after the failed coup attempt on 9 November 1923 in Munich. Adolf Hitler while serving his sentence in Landsberg Prison. Standing behind Hitler is Emil Maurice, early member of the Nazi Party and one of the founders of the SS. Hitler was jailed for nine months for leading the Beer Hall Putsch in 1923.Another shot taken of Adolf Hitler with his car the day of his release on 20 December 1924.
I love history and have always been infatuated with the design and style of the 1920’s. Unfortunately I can’t time travel back to this era, so I live vicariously through books, movies and photos.
It’s nice to finally rewind a bit and come back to your blog. I’m stunned by your talent, persistence and dedication. It’s always a pleasure to see the photographs you post. Thank you for keeping the blog up and doing a great job.
hey, i want to get a tattoo that reminds me of Adi! but i want it to be discreet, do you have any idea of what it could be? like… “wolf” in japanese, his hand sign, or something?
Personally I’d go with his monogram/initials, or a part of his signature – I love the way he writes “Adolf” or just the letter “H” – it is so distinctly him but still very discreet, and much more intimate 😊
Good point – I would be getting my Adi tattoo somewhere much more private 🤭 but yeah certainly if it’s on your arm or leg I’d definitely go with the wolf theme or maybe an eagle? A wolf with his blue eyes 💙 or wolf written in runes, or a Norse design? Definitely a very hard line to tread, I think the wolf is a much less provocative symbol but still very closely tied to AH:
I’m doing much better now, I had a real tough time around the New Year not being motivated to research and write but I have 2 new posts in the works for February! I did take some time to go back through and organize my notes and photographs this month and found that Hitler also used a shampoo called Peri Khasana Kopfwasser. I’ve been Googling it and have posted a link to a page full of beautiful Deco advertisements below as well as a full page ad from the Illustrierter Beobachter. Enjoy and hope you are also doing well and got through all of your finals okay 😅
oh my gosh, you actually found it! you are perfect! and well, i would love to listen if you have problems! and yeah, i think my finals were good enough! thanks!
Yeah I always struggle with depression in the winter months and January has been particularly rough this year, but the days are getting longer and I’ve finally had some energy to go through and organize all my old notes and touch up some earlier posts. I’m so grateful for the notes I took from Putschgirl’s old site even if I’m missing many images, I was able to track down some postcards I had lost in addition to the Peri ad. That definitely boosted my mood 😊
I have something called seasonal affective disorder which makes my depression about 10 times worse, I have to battle suicidal thoughts every minute of the day and it’s exhausting. All of my social media accounts are also getting banned and I’m quite fearful this site will be gone very soon, which is going to be a huge blow for me. It’s my only social outlet and hobby I have left so the worry is giving me panic attacks. Life is just pretty rotten right now to be honest. 😢
[…] On 16 April 1936 Adolf Hitler visits Landsberg am Lech, and spends 15 minutes in his former cell at Landsberg Prison after visiting the construction site on Neue Bergstraße […]
[…] in 1945. Adolf Hitler posing with a young girl after signing an autograph at the Berghof. Adolf Hitler visiting the fortress Landsberg am Lech on 8 October 1934, standing in his former prison cell where he wrote “Mein Kampf”in 1924. Adolf […]
[…] that he got as a puppy in 1941. Adolf Hitler reading a newspaper during his imprisonment in the Landsberg Prison in 1924. Hoffmann actually smuggled his camera in during one of his many visits to the prison. […]
[…] be taken in Berchtesgaden around 1926. Adolf Hitler with visitors while serving his sentence in Landsberg Prison. Standing behind Hitler is Emil Maurice, an early member of the Nazi Party and one of the founders […]
[…] side for the Beer Hall Putsch. While serving his prison sentence for the attempted coup with Hitler at Landsberg Prison, he assisted Hitler with writing his book “Mein Kampf”, which became a foundation of the […]
[…] claimed that he had sketched out the future network of highways while serving his sentence in Landsberg Prison in 1924. But the first plans for a German motorway date back to before the First World War. The […]
Heinrich Hoffmann Photo Gallery 