In 1943, on the orders of Hans Frank, a German publishing house published a car guidebook about the quasi-state that was the General Government. The occupied Polish lands within GG state formation were divided into five districts: Warsaw, Radom, Lublin, Kraków and Galicia. The publication presents the ‘values’ of the conquered territories and their history from a Nazi point of view.

Karl Baedeker founded his publishing company in Koblenz in 1827. A few years later, his first guidebook appeared on the market (Rheinreise von Mainz bis Köln), which was very popular, not least because it took the form of a small booklet that could easily fit into a woman’s handbag or a man’s jacket pocket. The Paris guidebook proved to be an even bigger hit. Over time, Baedeker’s publications became very recognisable due to the high quality and distinctive red covers of his publications. After Karl’s death, the business was taken over by his three sons.

During the Second World War, Baedeker’s publishing house published only one guidebook, the Baedeker in a Polish version. A shameful publication appeared in 1943, describing alleged German monuments in occupied Polish lands. These included St Mary’s Church in Krakow, presented as a building erected by the German bourgeoisie. The guidebook, discussing other sites in the city, did not fail to mention that Hans Frank resided at the Wawel Castle, who was restoring order in the General Government. Lvov was similarly portrayed, emphasising the achievements of the German population living there in different historical periods. Tourists who would decide to travel through the area were advised to carry weapons, especially in the less populated areas being advised against contact with residents. There were also anti-Jewish topics in the publication – for example, Lublin was portrayed as a ‘bastion’ of the Jews and at the same time a city in decline due to their presence. It was also emphasised that some cities were already free of them – “jetzt judenfrei”.

The guide was prepared by Oskar Steinheil, who was on a car rally in the General Government in the autumn of 1942 to make the publication more reliable. At exactly this time, the extermination of the Jews in the area was underway, leading to the complete physical annihilation of this national minority.

The Baedeker publishing house, as a family business, continued to operate after the end of the Second World War, working with business giants such as Shell AG and Lufthansa.