The 1936 Olympic torch was sold at auction

The torch, who took part in the first relay of Olympic fire in 1936, left the bidding in the Czech Republic for $ 28 thousand, AR reports.

The auction took place in the resort city of Karlovy Vara, located in the west of the country. The torch belonged to the private owner who had to put up the relic for sale in order to pay off debts.

The tradition of ignition of the Olympic fire originated in ancient Greece, where his flame served as a reminder of the feat of Prometheus, who abducted the fire at Zeus and gave it to people.

At the same time, the baton itself with the Olympic torch is a rather young phenomenon. The relay of sacred fire to the city hosting the Olympic Games was first held in Nazi Germany in 1936.

There is an opinion that the idea of ​​"resurrect" the ancient ritual occurred to the Minister of Propaganda Joseph Goebbels, who decided that this ceremony is the best -noted "Aryan past" of the German people. Nevertheless, according to official figures, the authorship of the idea belongs to the German professor Karl Dima, RIA Novosti notes.