Web Extra: Bon Voyage to Open at the Sophienburg

Beginning in March, the Sophienburg Museum in New Braunfels presents Bon Voyage, a remarkable exhibit inspired by the travel diary and scrapbook of a local resident who traveled throughout Europe in 1930.

In July of that year, 28-year-old Marie Rose Remmel left for Europe with the Christian Endeavor youth organization to attend the group’s world convention in Berlin. She traveled for two months, experiencing an economically depleted Germany and witnessing soldiers in the streets of a politically uneasy Italy, then under the dictatorship of Prime Minister Benito Mussolini. Through pages from Remmel’s diary, her scrapbook—which contains photographs, telegrams, ticket stubs, and even a flattened candle used to wander the catacombs of Italy—and her subsequently published news articles, the exhibit explores the fascinating period between two world wars.

“Her impressions of post-World War I Europe are startling in their maturity and insightfulness, and her photographs capture the romance and culture of Europe,” says the museum’s program coordinator, Keva Boardman.

Remmel kept a list of all her purchases throughout her visits to Scotland, England, Holland, Germany, Italy, and France, describing vases, leather goods, linens, and various souvenirs that she purchased. The museum will complement the written and photographic material with corresponding artifacts taken from its historical collections—luggage, rosaries, china, embroidery, and other items.

“The Sophienburg’s archives contain diaries from the 1840s thru the 1950s,” says Boardman. “Diaries give us intimate insights and delightful details about the life and times of their writers. Marie Rose Remmel’s diary and scrapbook offer an especially descriptive picture of her unusual experiences in 1930. Bon Voyage gives us a chance to combine the archives and artifact collections of the Sophienburg in a new and interesting way.” The exhibit runs through August. Call 830/629-1572; www.sophienburg.com.

—Kate Hull

See the full article in the March 2010 issue.