On the trail of wanderlust.

Researchers reports from a vacation trip to Italy and brochures from the Nazi era: The tourism archive of the Berlin Willy Scharnow Institute gathered numerous documents relating to the wanderlust of the Germans. Now expects the head Hasso Spode the death of his treasures.
  Berlin - Colorful brochures from the Nazi era, the first directory Heilbäder Germany and ancient Guides from distant countries: the archives of the Willy-Scharnow Tourism Institute at the Free University of Berlin store incredible treasures. 400 meters shelf crammed with books, studies, some 50,000 brochures and other documents relating to the issue of tourism.
"It is a unique archive, which makes it in Europe in this form again," says the tourism researcher and head of the archive, Hasso Spode. But that could soon be past. Finally, the Institute will in a few months. This is also the threat from the archive. It is still unclear what will happen with him.
From the outside the building can not guess what is hidden inside it: A modernized, more sober facades represent the Unibau on the street in the Maltese Lankwitz contemplative. In a former table tennis hall on the ground floor, however, behind doors hellbeigen, visitors can at least stay far away mentally.
Ordentlich sorted Baedecker guide from the 19th Century, for example, provide tips for trips to other European countries, a Ugandan promotional brochure from 1954 lures with exotic black-and-white images, and Walt Disney's book "Mysterious Steppe" is wild animals.
Fieldwork in Italy
On the other hand, are the loose papers at the edge of the area are stacked, and dreary little exciting. But this first impression is deceptive. After all, there are there the beginnings of tourism research: sociological studies from the fifties, the so bizarre titles such as "observation of a psychologist-wife during a company tour of Italy."
What it says is from today's strange, but was seriously operated field. On the one hand, there meticulously recorded how many hours the tourists in churches, museums and on the beach spent. On the other hand, the attraction descriptions attempt to travel to fathom - which is not always easy seemed like to read: "Nearly all participants groaning under the strain of travel: The long, arduous bus journeys in the glowing sun, the numerous visits and tours without adequate rest breaks , after the early start is often much too short night's sleep gives rise to complaints. "
ON THE INTERNET Willy Scharnow Tourism Institute, Berlin blogs ONLINE is not responsible for the content of external internet Seiten.Alle these decades has collected documents Hasso Spode with some employees meticulously sorted and tourism researchers from around the world made available. Since 1986 there have been numerous investigations, including the travel behavior of the GDR citizens, the offers of the Nazis and the question of why people have to travel.
"Tourism is a mirror image of society"
But it now lacks the money. The Academic Senate of the Free University decided in April, the Institute at 30 September 2009 to close. As a spokesman explained, was also the fact that Willy Scharnow Foundation for tourism in Frankfurt am Main their grants has greatly reduced. Even now, according to Tourism Research Spode no more students, because they do not study could end more.
Spode, still at the university teaches in Hanover, are now very worried about the future of his archives. He feared that it and its treasures after landing could be in bookstores. "That would be a tragedy," says Spode. Not only because of the collection. "Tourism is a mirror image of society, we can at him many political and socio-historical aspects of reading," finds the 57-year-olds. Without a central archive would be quite difficult.