Roads through Picturesque Rhineland, Southern Germany, and Austria

An invitation for Americans to visit Hitler’s Germany.

This alluring promotional brochure was issued in late 1938 or 1939 by the Hotel Bayerischer hof Munich to tempt English speakers to hit the roads of Southern Germany and newly annexed Austria. A series of captioned photographs highlight the natural scenery, impressive architecture, and tourist charms offered by the region. Many of these idyllic scenes would be irrevocably changed with the forthcoming conflict. A topographic map designed by Georg Ruep showcases the road network between Cologne and Salzburg, with the Autobahn network colored in red.