Wismar Bürgergarde Pickelhaube M1848

Wismar on the north eastern coast of Germany was an old Hanseatic town, given to Sweden at the Treaty of Westphalia in 1648. In 1803, Sweden sold the rights to the city to Mecklenburg-Schwerin but did not formally give up its claim on the territory until 1903.

This helmet was issued to the Citizens Guard (Bürgergarde) during the revolutions of 1848. It has yellow metal fittings, a squared peak and the Mecklenburg four way fluted spike with a ball tip.

The front plate is a Mecklenburg-Schwerin style star with the city's coat of arms in white metal, half of the Mecklenburg bull on the left and a red and white striped banner on the right. Below the coat of arms is a plaque bearing the word Bürgergarde. On the left side, is a cockade in the city's colours, white/ red/ white /red.

Close up of the front plate