Hunting with Ludwig Thoma

To mark the 150th birthday of Ludwig Thoma, author of the Lausbubengeschichten (Stories of the Rascals) and co-editor of Simplicissimus, a snapshot of the upper-class life of this passionate hunter and admirer of the Tegernsee Valley, nestled in the lovely landscape of the Alpine foothills, is being published. The author was once the tenant of the former Thoma hunting grounds and describes the impact of rising tourist numbers on the red deer population that had been at home there for decades, and the consequences of this. Not only the summer retreat as a newly discovered longing for nature among Munich society, but also the beginnings of 'gentle tourism' are reflected in the book. The Wittelsbach King Max I Joseph of Bavaria, who was extremely popular with the people, unintentionally triggered a development that continues to this day when he purchased the former Benedictine monastery in Tegernsee, which was looking for a new purpose after secularisation. During this period, Munich lawyer Dr Ludwig Thoma found his adopted home and happiness there. This cultural setting forms the backdrop to the entertaining story of the red deer at the gates of Tegernsee.