WWII veteran brings wallet made of human skin to Aktau museum

©mangystau-muzey.kz

A spooky souvenir is now at the disposal of the Mangistau Museum of local history, Tengrinews reports citing STV Channel.

A veteran of World War II brought a wallet made entirely of human skin to the astonishment of the museum employees. The veteran explained that he had got the trophy after one of the battles of the WWII. He also told that the wallet was requisitioned from a captive fascist, who told him that it had been made of a POW’s skin.

The length of the wallet is 15cm (6 inches), and the width - 10 cm (4 inches). It consists of four sections, and there is even a pocket for coins. The museum employees say that they see a ‘souvenir’ of this sort for the first time.

"A veteran of the Great Patriotic War brought the wallet to the museum. We have not yet tested it to identify whether it is truely made of human skin. However, the veteran says then it is made of human skin. And it was probably made in one of the concentration camps from the skin of the inmates," said the head of the Mangistau Museum Nurbolat Kalaganov.

According to the museum’s staff, they first heard about the wallet back in 1995 during the celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Victory Day (celebrated on the 9th of May to mark the capitulation of Nazi Germany and the triumph of the Red Army) However, then they did not give the matter even a passing thought back then since the veteran declared that he would give them the wallet only after a whole decade.

A spooky souvenir is now at the disposal of the Mangistau Museum of local history, Tengrinews reports citing STV Channel.

A veteran of World War II brought a wallet made entirely of human skin to the astonishment of the museum employees. The veteran explained that he had got the trophy after one of the battles of the WWII. He also told that the wallet was requisitioned from a captive fascist, who told him that it had been made of a POW’s skin.

The length of the wallet is 15cm (6 inches), and the width - 10 cm (4 inches). It consists of four sections, and there is even a pocket for coins. The museum employees say that they see a ‘souvenir’ of this sort for the first time.

"A veteran of the Great Patriotic War brought the wallet to the museum. We have not yet tested it to identify whether it is truely made of human skin. However, the veteran says then it is made of human skin. And it was probably made in one of the concentration camps from the skin of the inmates," said the head of the Mangistau Museum Nurbolat Kalaganov.

According to the museum’s staff, they first heard about the wallet back in 1995 during the celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Victory Day (celebrated on the 9th of May to mark the capitulation of Nazi Germany and the triumph of the Red Army) However, then they did not give the matter even a passing thought back then since the veteran declared that he would give them the wallet only after a whole decade.

World War II veteran news museum Mangistau Kazakhstan Kazakh Aktau