A cruise to Madeira, a journey up to Monte and a ride down in a traditional wicker basket: some experiences enjoyed by visitors today were also on the itineraries of German holidaymakers arriving in the 1930s.
Their visits formed part of an unusual chapter in the island’s tourism history. Between 1935 and 1939, Madeira welcomed cruises organised by Kraft durch Freude, usually translated as “Strength Through Joy,” the leisure organisation established under Germany’s Nazi regime. The voyages ended shortly before the outbreak of the Second World War.
Founded in November 1933 as part of the German Labour Front, the organisation offered cultural events, sporting activities, excursions and holidays. Its travel programme presented opportunities previously associated with wealthier households as something working people could also enjoy. Alongside recreation, however, it served the regime’s political objectives, promoting loyalty and its vision of a national community.
The first cruises reached Madeira on the 20th of March 1935. Among those accompanying them were German Labour Front leader Robert Ley and senior travel organiser Bodo Lafferentz. German consul Emil Gesche helped arrange excursions and receptions, including a welcome at the Palace of São Lourenço by Madeira’s civil governor, Augusto Goulart de Medeiros.
Historian Mathias Saecker records that numerous buildings in Funchal displayed swastika flags for the occasion, a detail that places these visits firmly within the political circumstances of their time.
For the passengers, the programme also offered the pleasures of discovering Madeira. Contemporary newspaper accounts, revisited by DIÁRIO, describe train journeys to Terreiro da Luta, basket-car rides and excursions to Ribeira Brava, Câmara de Lobos and Pico do Areeiro.
The arrivals could be elaborate affairs. In October 1938, the Wilhelm Gustloff and Stuttgart entered Funchal Bay with shipboard bands playing the Portuguese and German national anthems. Fireworks released small flags of both countries above the harbour.
Despite the publicity surrounding holidays for workers, a Madeira cruise remained expensive for many. The German Historical Museum records a fare of 120 Reichsmarks, compared with a worker’s monthly income of approximately 150 Reichsmarks. The promise of wider access to travel therefore exceeded what many households could afford.
Nor were these entirely carefree holidays. The German Historical Institute describes compulsory political instruction on KdF cruises, and complaints about regimented routines and preferential treatment for party officials. These accounts concern the wider programme and should not be taken as descriptions of every passenger’s experience in Madeira.
A more personal reminder survives in a visitors’ book from Quinta Olavo, the German consul’s residence. An entry reproduced by Arquipélagos includes thanks and signatures from passengers aboard the Oceana, which visited Monte in March 1936. It preserves a small trace of the people behind the ships and official ceremonies.
Understanding these journeys means distinguishing the holidaymakers from the organisation arranging their travel. Participation alone did not establish an individual’s political beliefs or party membership.
For Madeira, the cruises form part of a wider history of international visitors and maritime connections. They also show how familiar holiday experiences, sightseeing, music, and hospitality could become part of a government’s carefully crafted political message.
Samantha Gannon
info at madeira-weekly.com
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