But for many, Hitler’s “New Germany” was itself the attraction, and the regime was happy to present vigorous displays of “Blut and Boden.” Admirers, like English socialite Unity Mitford and Norwegian writer Knut Hamsun, came away inspired, while skeptics, like journalist Maria Leitner, whose “chilling reports” noted rural poverty and a secret poison factory, had their worst suspicions confirmed. For some, the reasons to visit were the same as ever-bucolic settings, lively cities, and high culture, with tolerance of Nazis the price of access. Boyd’s fresh and instructive look at 1930s Germany as described in contemporaneous travel narratives reveals a tourist destination that continued to attract visitors even as the true intentions of the Nazis became obvious.
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