1936 On the Continent

March 2011
    A note from the publisher:
    Thank you for downloading Fodor’s
1936…On the Continent, The Entertaining Travel Annual
, which we have republished as an ebook to commemorate Fodor’s 75th anniversary.
    In celebrating this anniversary, we honor the colorful and adventurous life of our founder, Eugene Fodor, who revolutionized guidebook publishing in 1936 with the publication of his first book,
1936
…
On the Continent.
    Eugene Fodor’s life seemed to leap off the pages of a great spy novel. Born in 1905 and raised in Czechoslovakia, Fodor joined the U.S. Army’s psychological-warfare branch during World War II. He emerged a decorated war hero, thanks to his leadership in the liberation of Prague and Pilsen.
    Multilingual and with extensive travel experience, Fodor worked as a Cold War spy in Vienna and Budapest. His publishing career began in 1936, when he created the first modern guidebook. Many of his guidebook writers were undercover CIA agents. Fodor revolutionized the travel-publishing industry, inspiring new generations to explore the world around them.

    As you read
On the Continent,
you’ll embark on a nostalgic journey through prewar Europe. Seventy-five years have faded into history, but this volume is a fascinating reminder of the way things were in Europe in 1936, the year Spain went to war against itself, and three years before Europe and then the world erupted in conflict.
    Guidebooks, especially Fodor’s, have come a long way since 1936. But despite advancements in technology and the accessibility of destinations, the essential needs of travelers remain unchanged: to obtain accurate and up-to-date insights and recommendations about their destinations. The medium continues to evolve, but Eugene’s mission is alive and well in 2011. As one of the world’s largest and most trusted travel brands, Fodor’s Travel provides actionable travel intelligence, enabling travelers to confidently explore the globe as they see fit.
    We hope you’ll enjoy this historic gem from Eugene Fodor.
    Happy 75th anniversary, Fodor’s, and here’s to many more!

    Tim Jarrell
    Publisher, Fodor’s Travel



FODOR’S 1936…ON THE CONTINENT
    Copyright © 2011 by Fodor’s Travel, a division of Random House, Inc.
    Fodor’s is a registered trademark of Random House, Inc.
    All rights reserved. Published in the United States by Fodor’s Travel, a division of Random House, Inc. Distributed by Random House, Inc., New York.
    No maps, illustrations, or other portions of this work may be reproduced in any form without written permission from the publisher.

FOREWORD
    T HERE was once a man who bought himself a travel-guide, with the aid of which he mapped out a Continental tour comprising several countries. When he left England he knew exactly not only what places he was going to visit, but also what hotels he was going to patronise at each place.
    The first shock awaited him at his first stop, a well-known French resort. The hotel recommended in the guide-book as the sort of establishment the traveller preferred, was simply not there; it had been destroyed by fire four years earlier; and the telegram he addressed to it from Calais may still be floating about the universe. Then at Saarbrücken he found that he was in Germany, though his guide-book informed him otherwise. And in Germany proper he found he was paying “through the nose” for everything, and only discovered too late that by purchasing one of several varieties of cheap marks, instead of spending English money, he could have halved the cost of his stay in the country. And so on.…
    He had relied on his guide-book—an excellent book in its way. The trouble was that its latest issue was dated 1929.
    Need we labour the point? Such cases must be quite common, since new editions of most existing travel-guides are only issued at long intervals. Owing to their almost prohibitive prices it may take years before an edition is sold out.
    It is with the object of overcoming these difficulties that we publish this first Continental Travel Annual, in which the information will always be up to date and of real interest to the traveller.
    This brings us to the essence of the innovation which we are introducing in regard to the text of our Travel Annual. Our interpretation of what constitutes information of interest to travellers in foreign countries is as different from the traditional conception as a
soufflé
is different from haggis. We have proceeded on the