Kriegsküchen — literally "war kitchens" — were centralized municipal feeding stations established across German industrial cities from 1916 onward as the Allied naval blockade drove civilian food shortages to crisis levels. Haniel & Lueg, a major Düsseldorf machinery and steel manufacturer, operated their own facility for workers rather than relying on city-run soup kitchens. This zinc token functioned as prepaid meal scrip, redeemable within that closed system — currency that never needed to leave the factory district.
Kriegsküchen — literally "war kitchens" — were centralized municipal feeding stations established across German industrial cities from 1916 onward as the Allied naval blockade drove civilian food shortages to crisis levels. Haniel & Lueg, a major Düsseldorf machinery and steel manufacturer, operated their own facility for workers rather than relying on city-run soup kitchens. This zinc token functioned as prepaid meal scrip, redeemable within that closed system — currency that never needed to leave the factory district.