Mitropa : descriptive booklet/Beschreibendes Büchlein : Mitropa AG : Berlin : Deutschland : nd [1929] : page 16

            Mitropa - the Mitteleuropäische Schlafwagen- und Speisewagen Aktiengesellschaft (German for Central European Sleeping and Dining Cars Incorporated) was formed in 1916 and entered into business on 1 January 1917 and although, as described in this booklet, the company's aim was to "help, maintain and develop friendly and neighborly relations among the various countries" Mitropa, the name a contraction of the German "Mitteleuropa", was a child of war. The reality was that this was the state railways of the Central Powers taking over the sleeper car and  railway dining facilities that had previously been run by the now enemy owned CIWL - Compagnie Internationale des Wagons-Lits.

Mitropa prospered in postwar years when it retained such facilities in Germany and Austria when CIWL returned to other 'lost' routes and operators. Mitropa services included some international routes such as into the Netherlands, Switzerland and Italy. The booklet notes that in recnet years (1928) they began to operate dining cars between St. Moritz and Tirano as well as, in 1929, on the Rhetian/Rhaetian Railway. The sleeping car and restaurant services, operated by a fleet of over 650 carriages, were maintained at various workshops and service depots including those at Berlin Falkensee, central kitchens in Berlin and Hamburg as well as central laundries at Berlin Lehrter Bahnhof.

The company also provided services to some shipping and ferry services and were moving into the new world of commercial aviation. This included the "Mitropa Airport Restaurant" at the Central Airport, Berlin, at Templehof. From 1928 Mitropa provided in-flight services for certain Lufthansa flights  to Paris and London.

The booklet is tri-lingual and the cover is in the corporate burgundy-red and features the original version of the logo with the eagle-M that was designed by German graphic designer  Karl Schulpig (1884 - 1948). Mitropa's services for the Deutsche Reichsbahn grew and faded in tandem with effects of World War Two and in post-war years Mitropa survived as the service provider for the East German railways, on rail and at stations, whilst DSG operated in West Germany and on Deutsche Bundesbahn's services. The company diversified into motorway service stations .Upon reunification and the subsequent 1994 merger of the railways to form Deutsche Bahn Mitropa again became the national service provider, until after making losses a restructured company became part of Compass in 2004 and the Mitropa name vanished in 2006.

The booklet closes with a fine view of the "Mitropa-Airport Restaurant" at Berlin's Central Airport, Templehof, drawn by "Steinberg" - Flughafen-Restaurant Mitropa im Zentral-Flughafen Berlin.

Taken on: May 11, 2024

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railways

railway catering

railway sleeper car services

railway station catering

airport catering

ferry and shipping services catering

airline catering services

Eisenbahnen

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Eisenbahn-Schlafwagenservice

Bahnhofs-Catering

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Mitropa

descriptive booklet

Mitteleuropäische Schlafwagen- und Speisewagen Aktiengesellschaft

Berlin

Germany

Deutschland

Mitropa-Airport Restaurant

Flughafen-Restaurant Mitropa

Zentral-Flughafen Berlin

Steinberg

illustration

artwork

drawing

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