Hello. Do I understand correctly that MEWA has made other things than pressure lamps, including kitchen equipment such as coffee grinders, bread machines, etc. If that is the case, it would be interesting to see a catalog, if one exists. Tom
MEWA is short for Metallwaren[kombinat]. "Combine for metal products" in the GDR. Kombinat Mewa – Wikipedia you will find a list of "participants" of the GDR-combine there. There were a number of changes in name and goods, AFAIK no one really went into the history of MEWA so far. @Jörg Wekenmann may know some thing more but it was not his main interest when digging through the archives in the last years. Erik
Hi Tom, The term “MEWA” simply means “metal goods.” This term was used as a prefix for all enterprises in the former GDR. Here’s an example: MEWA Leipziger Werke VEB. VEB stands for “state-owned enterprise.” There was never a company in Leipzig that was simply called MEWA! There is always a company name associated with it. Over the years, several of these VEB enterprises were merged into large enterprises, the so-called combines. VEB Leipziger Werke never belonged to a combine! The successor to VEB Leipziger Werke, VEB Leuchtenbau, was assigned to a combine in the 1960s. There was only one company that bore the title: MEWA Zwickau This MEWA Zwickau was purely an administrative company that existed until around 1954. It managed around 90 different enterprises operating in the metal construction sector. This included, for example, external legal representation, especially vis-à-vis capitalist foreign countries. Unfortunately, one repeatedly comes across references to the “MEWA 351” lamp in collector circles. This is fundamentally incorrect! No such lantern ever existed! On the base of these lamps was a stamp that read: MEWA Leipziger Werke VEB Leipziger Werke not only reproduced Hasag lamps but also manufactured all kinds of metal-related items, including rat traps! If you’re interested in the history of VEB Leipziger Werke, I posted a text about it in English here on the forum a long time ago. Unfortunately, there is no catalog for VEB Leipziger Werke. However, in my archive I have an overview of some of the products they manufactured between 1949 and 1962, among them many leaflets concerning the Hasag lamps. Best regards, Jörg
Here’s a quick addition to what I wrote earlier. This stamp was found on the base of every lantern sold within the GDR. I can’t say whether export lanterns were stamped with it as well. VEB Leipziger Werke manufactured the following products, among others: High-intensity lamps, Campy appliances (gas stoves), gas lamps, railroad lamps, headlights, tail lights, small metal goods such as mousetraps, and carbide lanterns. I cannot say what else they manufactured, as I focused on the production of high-intensity lanterns during my visits to the State Archives in Leipzig.
