1936 On the Continent

with the National Socialist movement, as the political institution now governing Germany was founded here, and here stands the Brown House, the headquarters of the National Socialist Party. Hitler has shown much interest in the town where his movement first developed, and Munich to-day is, so to speak, a second capital of Germany. The town, which has always been a cultural centre, will probably develop into the cultural metropolis of the National Socialist Reich.
    The Bavarian people, if one can generalise over people and races, are really more easy-going and friendly than the Prussians, and at the same time simpler in their manner of life. The warmer temperament shows that we are getting further south.
    These few quite superficial remarks are merely a kind of summary of what I have been reading and hearing, in preparation for my stay in Munich.
Munich—Its Beer and its Arts
    I have in my hand a prospectus about the town of Munich. In this I see the heading: “A short visit to Munich,” and underneath a programme calculated for eight days. I have, however, no more than four days at my disposal, and these would be taken up with excursions in the neighbourhood. The only thing I can do is to choose the best method in such circumstances, and seat myself on a Circular Tour bus in order to obtain in the shortest time possible a general impression of the capital of Bavaria, and then pick out a few of the sights which should be seen.
    In Baden-Baden I met a very friendly lady who came from Wittenberg, Luther’s town, but who had married a “foreigner.” This means she had married a Bavarian engineer and migrated to Munich. She was called Frau Ursula Walleshausen. She told me much about her second home, Munich, and this was more than useful to me, as I now see. As although it is most friendly and openhearted to strangers, it is not a town which can be easily assimilated, it has so many sides to it. Nowhere in Germany is the cult of the arts on so high a level as here, on no town has aestheticism made such an impression as on Munich. At the same time, the life of a great part of the population is simple, almost that of peasants. In Munich the classical buildings of the nineteenth century, the Baroque palaces of the seventeenth century, the glittering opera performances, the art collections, which are amongst the most famous in the world, are as characteristic of the place as are the cosy establishments for the intelligent enjoyment of beer—the beer-houses—which form what to me seemed an endless chain throughout the town. Next door to the opera, at which festival performancestake place which bring to the town art lovers from all over the world, are to be found places where the Bavarian peasant culture, in spite of the development of the town, still exists in its original crudeness and serenity. Frau Ursula told me how the town had been developed by the Wittelsbachers on new lines, and how all Germany was attracted to its friendly artistic atmosphere. From the varying characteristics of the people of Munich, unity has been evolved, and it is precisely this variety which gives it its charm.
Hotels in Munich
    As I came to Munich in the morning and had had a good sleep, I left my luggage in the cloakroom and set out first of all to find accommodation. I could have done this much more easily, as at the station there is a list of hotels, etc., and for 30 pfennigs one can get advice as to accommodation in any district and at any price. The 30 pfennigs are then repaid by the hotel or pension in question. But I had already decided that a search for rooms in a strange town is a good opportunity of getting to know that town in the easiest way—in Munich even more so than elsewhere, as here the hotels are not only grouped about the station, but are scattered all over the inner town. Although there are some large, good hotels near the station such as the Deutsche Kaiser, the most famous, as for instance the Kontinental, the Vier Jahreszeiten, the Bayerische Hof and the Regina Palace, are more in the heart of the town, near the chief shopping streets and the principal sights.
    It is rather difficult to differentiate as regards standing and prices between the above first-class hotels. They are so managed that they are able to offer all the home comforts desired by the many visitors who spend weeks and months in Munich and make excursions and tours from there. The Vier Jahreszeiten is specially patronised by English people—this