Baedeker was a German publishing company renowned for producing for many decades highly informative travel guides, primarily for European destinations. Places of interest were rated from one to three stars, with three stars being the most desirable.
In 1942, Hitler launched a series of bombing raids against several picturesque towns in England with little military importance, but with high cultural significance, such as Exeter, York, and Bath, based solely on the fact that they had received a Baedeker three-star rating. These bombings were known, appropriately enough, as "The Baedeker Raids."
This was not the first contribution of the Baedeker Company to the Third Reich. In 1938, German troops used commercial Baedeker guide books to assist them in the invasion of Austria, as they did not have suitable official maps for that purpose.
Due to peculiarities in the manufacturing process, most Baedeker guides decomposed prematurely with the passage of time. Copies in good condition are highly prized by book collectors.
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