With the German Federal Railroad through the Land of fairy tales

Travel through the lands of the Brothers Grimm with this quaint mid-century map of West Germany.

This charming pictorial map is a quintessential piece of postwar German travel advertising, designed to evoke the nostalgic wonder of European fairy tales while promoting the efficiency of the Deutsche Bundesbahn (West German Federal Railways). The works of the renowned German publishers, the Brothers Grimm, are a key component in the celebration of German culture and literary history. Little Red Riding Hood, Snow White, Rapunzel, Sleeping Beauty, and Cinderella are among the popular tales depicted within the image, though lesser-known German folk stories of House Gnomes (Heinzelmännchen), Walpurgis Witch Night, and Rat King Birlibi are also included.

While conventional geography is largely overlooked, more practical travel elements are also depicted throughout the vibrant image, such as towns and cities, historic sites, and notable geographic features. Only a small portion of East Germany is included, though an inset in the lower right outlines the borders of Germany as they were in 1937. Small coats of arms note the composition of the bordering nations.

The map was illustrated, originally in the late 1930s, by Leo Faller (signed, lower right). This is a later edition, printed around 1960 by Karl Wenschow of Berlin on behalf of the Advertising Office (Werbeamt) of the state railway of West Germany (Deutsche Bundesbahn).