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THE LONELY PLANET STORY

Fresh from an epic journey across Europe, Asia and Australia in 1972, Tony and Maureen Wheeler sat at their kitchen table stapling together notes. The first Lonely Planet guidebook, Across Asia on the Cheap, was born.

Travellers snapped up the guides. Inspired by their success, the Wheelers began publishing books to Southeast Asia, India and beyond. Demand was prodigious, and the Wheelers expanded the business rapidly to keep up. Over the years, Lonely Planet extended its coverage to every country and into the virtual world via lonelyplanet.com and the Thorn Tree message board.

As Lonely Planet became a globally loved brand, Tony and Maureen received several offers for the company. But it wasn’t until 2007 that they found a partner whom they trusted to remain true to the company’s principles of travelling widely, treading lightly and giving sustainably. In October of that year, BBC Worldwide acquired a 75% share in the company, pledging to uphold Lonely Planet’s commitment to independent travel, trustworthy advice and editorial independence.

Today, Lonely Planet has offices in Melbourne, London and Oakland, with over 500 staff members and 300 authors. Tony and Maureen are still actively involved with Lonely Planet. They’re travelling more often than ever, and they’re devoting their spare time to charitable projects. And the company is still driven by the philosophy of Across Asia on the Cheap: ‘All you’ve got to do is decide to go and the hardest part is over. So go!’

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MARC DI DUCA

Big thanks to Caroline Sieg for entrusting me with such a hefty chunk of the guide, and to Andrea Schulte-Peevers for her support throughout; huge thanks to Oleksandr Kalinin for use of his apartment in Erding, for the trips into the wilds of Eastern Bavaria and for the hours of ‘research’ over pints of Erding’s finest. A huge thank you also goes to Liane Mautner in Dresden, Dirk Marky in Franconia, Andy Mayston in Munich and Rüdi Poschlod for his insights into life in Germany and the trip to Saxon Switzerland. I’d also like to express my gratitude to all the dedicated staff at tourist offices around Bavaria and Saxony, including Günther Schulz in Würzburg, Anne Riedler in Oberstdorf, Michael Henger in Bamberg, Kreszentia Struber in Berchtesgaden, Christina Sprenger in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Theresa Appoltshauser in Regensburg, Sabine Garau in Munich, Hedda Manhard in Munich and Barbara Geier of the German National Tourist Office in London. Last but certainly not least, heartfelt thanks must go to my wife Tanya and son Taras for all the days we spend apart.

ANTHONY HAYWOOD

In large and small ways, many different people were very helpful in researching my chapters of this new edition of Germany. First and foremost, thanks go to the folks at the tourist offices who were a useful source of orientation in my regions, but especially to Timo Soik in Wolfsburg, Diana Lichtner in Wernigerode, Kathrin Friedling in Thale, Astrid Müller in Gernrode, Anna Mrozek in Braunschweig, and Frau Kerstin Makrosch in Worpswede. Special thanks to Dr Simone Eick of the German Emigration Center for agreeing to be interviewed for Lonely Planet. As well as these, I’d like to thank my co-authors, in particular Andrea Schulte-Peevers, and commissioning editor Caroline Sieg, Herman So in mapping, Eoin Dunlevy and managing editor Bruce Evans. Finally, special thanks to Sylvia Möhle for ongoing support on the project and valuable insights.

CATHERINE LE NEVEZ

Vielen Dank to all the locals, tourism professionals and fellow travellers in Hamburg, Schleswig-Holstein and Mecklenburg–Western Pomerania who offered insights, assistance and inspiration along the way. Danke in particular to Jan Drews and Thorsten in Hamburg and André in Stralsund, as well as Claudia for the Hamburg meet-up, and the Bavarian (Franconian!) crew – (Saint) Dirk, Harry, Holger, and Daniel – for the northern tips. Major thanks to Caroline Sieg for giving me the gig, as well as Cliff Wilkinson, Craig Kilburn, Herman