Carl Jacob Burckhardt was a Swiss diplomat and historian. His career alternated between periods of academic historical research and diplomatic postings; the most prominent of the latter were League of Nations High Commissioner for the Free City of Danzig (1937–39) and President of the International Committee of the Red Cross (1945–48).
Carl J. Burckhardt (Red Cross photo)
Seat of League of Nations High Commissioner for the Free City of Danzig
Burckhardt visiting Camp Fünfeichen in August 1941
The graves of Burckhard (centre), his wife (right) and their daughter Henriette (1929-2021)
The Free City of Danzig was a city-state under the protection and oversight of the League of Nations between 1920 and 1939, consisting of the Baltic Sea port of Danzig and nearly 200 other small localities in the surrounding areas. The polity was created on 15 November 1920 in accordance with the terms of Article 100 of the 1919 Treaty of Versailles after the end of World War I.
Danzig (purple) with parts of Germany (pink) and Poland (green)
1,000 Danzig gulden (1924) depicting City Hall
Passport of the Free City of Danzig
Polish passport issued at Danzig by the "Polish Commission for Gdańsk" in 1935 and extended again in 1937, before the holder immigrated to British Palestine the following year
