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RARE JULY 1937 TOURIST PROGRAM FOR MUNICH, CAPITAL OF THE NAZI MOVEMENT, FOR THE WEEK OF THE BRAUNE BAND HORSE RACING EVENTS

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This is a fine original 8-1/8 x 8-1/8 inch, 20-page weekly program for visitors to the city of Munich from 25 - 31 July 1937. The title München die Stadt der Kunst und Lebensfreude translates as “Munich, the City of Art and Joie de Vivre” or “Vitality”.

In 1937 Reichsführer-SS Himmler created the Haupt-Reitschule München (SS Main Riding School) at the Fegelein stud farm at Munich-Riem. SS-Brigadeführer Weber (by then also the Inspector of SS-Riding Schools) supported the school with more than 100,000 Reichsmarks annually. In July 1938 SS-Standartenführer Fegelein won the coveted Braunes Band von Deutschland. During World War II, Hermann Fegelein saw action in the Soviet Union and on the West Front leading SS cavalry. He was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross in March 1942 and on 3 June 1944 SS-Gruppenführer und Generalleutnant Fegelein married Eva Braun's sister Gretl, becoming the future brother-in-law of Adolf Hitler.

There is a map of Rennbahn Riem (shown above), “the most beautiful horse race course of Europe.” The text next to this map of the third international horse event at Riem mentions important visitors such as Staatsminister Adolf Wagner, Oberbürgermesiter Reichsleiter Karl Fiehler as well as several foreign dignitaries from the 15 countries that would participate in the event.

Every equestrian event from Saturday 24 July through Wednesday 4 August is listed in the racing calendar (shown lerft), including SS Reiterwettkämpfe (SS Riding Championships) and riding demonstrations by the SS-Standarte “Deutschland”. Also mentioned on the calendar, the official opening by Gauleiter Adolf Wagner of the International Congress of Thoroughbred Horse Breeders on 31 July.

Other tourist information covers concerts and theater performances in the city of Munich, excursion possibilities to Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Chiemsee, Bad Wiessee, Oberammergau, Sonthofen (the NSDAP Ordensburg is mentioned), Tegernsee, etc. Some of this text is in English and French especially for international visitors.

This very rare Wochenprogramm starts with information about das Braune Band von Deutschland, the highlight of the International Riem Week horse races which were the brainchild of Christian Weber, the SS-General who oversaw the German Brown Ribbon horse racing facilities and events in Munich.

Christian Weber was a very early Munich National Socialist and political associate of Adolf Hitler. He was allowed to address Hitler with the private Du instead of the more formal Sie (only four others were allowed to do that with Hitler: Ernst Röhm, Julius Streicher, Hermann Esser and Dietrich Eckart). Weber took part in the SA purge during the Night of the Long Knives and Hitler rewarded him for his involvement by promoting him to the rank of SS-Oberführer. In July 1936 Reichsführer-SS Heinrich Himmler promoted Weber to SS-Brigadeführer. Christian Weber was also a close friend of accomplished rider SS General Hermann Fegelein and his father, retired Oberstleutnant Hans Fegelein, who owned an equestrian school and horse breeding facility at Munich-Riem just east of the city.

The back cover is a 16 inch fold-out page featuring a map of downtown Munich pointing out the sights, from historical churches to important Nazi buildings.

This is the rare 7th issue of 1937 of München die Stadt der Kunst und Lebensfreude published in cooperation with the tourist office of Munich and published by well-known Nazi publisher Verlag Knorr & Hirth GmbH of München. This scarce piece of Third Reich ephemera was used but is in nice used condition. No writing, no odor.

This material is part of a small lot of brochures collected in Nazi Germany by relatives of a very prominent and high-ranking Nazi official in the 1930s and early 1940s. With the purchase, the buyer will receive an in-depth printed recap covering the very interesting provenance of this 3. Reich Reiseprospekt or tourist brochure!

There is advertising by big and small hotels, beer halls, coffee houses and restaurants, and the Hofbräuhaus advertised its Thursday military band concerts (above).

There is a list of foreign consulates, travel agencies (including American Express) and even summer flights from Munich to Berlin, Amsterdam, Rome, Vienna, Budapest and Geneva, with many stops along the way to each destination (shown left).