I have learned more about Manfred (von) Reiffenstein. His correct name in von Reiffenstein. He was an eccentric personality, proud to be a professional inventor who worked independently, never on anybody's payroll. All his patents were forfeited to the Allies in 1945. The USA took them over and used them without compensation. (See Gimbel, John, Science, Technology and Reparations - Exploitation and Plunder in Postwar Germany, ISBN: 0-8047-1761-3, Stanford University Press, 1990) Fortunately he had set aside enough assets to spend the rest of his life only with Anchor. He was completely uninterested in Anchor of Richter history; whenever he bought a (second hand) box he threw away the box and all of the stones in poor condition and put the good stones into his stone inventory. He had a large (2 × 2 meters square) building table on which he would set up large scenes, like the entire Venice Piazza San Marco. In 1983, when he was over 90, he, quite reluctantly, sold his 50,000 stone collection to AV Bruckmann, also of Wien. He tested AV Bruckmann for more than a year to find out whether or not he would be a worthy buyer, but it was the Anchor knowledge of AV Bruckmann's son, Clemens, which finally convinced him that the stones would have a good home.
Like last month, these picture are from the archive of the Anchor factory in Rudolstadt. That archive is now in the possession of the Spielhausverein Rudolstadt, Richter Villa, Rudolstadt.
Two of the buildings from last month have been identified. This month a few of the pictures come with identification. If you recognize a building, please e-mail me with its identification.
As you can read, this model is of the San Giorgio Maggiore Monastery.
* * * *
A closer look at the monastery.
* * * *
The interior of the courtyard.
* * * *
The picture is being shown again because it has been identified as the Dom
of Pavia, Italy.
* * * *
This scene has also been identified; it is of Halle an der Saale; the church
is the Marktkirche.
* * * *
Another Italian building.
* * * *
A Swiss church. The details of the windows of the nave are well worth
a close look.
* * * *
* * * * * * * *