Pickelhaube

The Pickelhaube helmet is from the German Pickel, ‘point’ or ‘pickaxe’, and Haube, ‘bonnet’, a general word for ‘headgear’, also Pickelhelm, is a spiked helmet that was worn in the 19th and 20th centuries by Prussian and German military, firefighters and police.

The Prussian Army, which adopted the Pickelhaube between 1842 and 1843, is closely associated with the helmet, which was widely copied by other armies during that period.

The Pickelhaube is still worn as part of ceremonial attire by the military of some nations, such as Sweden, Chile and Colombia.

Other names for Pickelhaube

• Pickelhelm

Famous Pickelhaube wearers

• Kaiser Willhelm
• Adolf Hitler
• Bismarck