Friday, August 10, 2012

Karl Baedeker: Guidance for the Traveler


Karl Baedeker was a German publisher who established the publisher company Baedeker which set the standard of authority for guidebooks for travelers and tourists.

Baedeker was born on November 3, 1801. He was exposed early on to publishing since his father was a printer. He established his company in 1827 and acquired Friedrich Röhling, another publishing company, in 1832. At that time, Friedrich Röhling had a published handbook for travelers entitled Rheinreise von Mainz bis Köln (Travelling the Rhine from Mainz to Cologne). The handbook by J. A. Kelin became the basis for the travel guides that Baedeker would produce.

Baedeker’s guide became very popular because they contain detailed and accurate information. His guidebooks included significant information about transportation, accommodations, rates and prices, and other vital information for travelers. In fact, his guidebooks contained the exact number of steps in the staircase leading to the roof of the Milan Cathedral. Baedeker’s guidebooks were published in English, French and German.

Baedeker died on October 4, 1859.

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