Original Item: Only One Available. This is an original German pre-WWII invitation sent to actress Magda Schneider for a reception at the Führerbau of the Brown House in Munich on July 8, 1938, during the Day of German Art celebrations. Measuring approximately 7 1/4" x 5 5/16", the invitation is printed on formal stationery with a gold border and embossed gold Reich eagle at the top. The paper, layout, and format are consistent with other period official invitations from Adolf H’s office.

The occasion was the Tag der Deutschen Kunst, or Day of German Art, held in Munich from July 8 through July 10, 1938. The event formed part of the regime’s highly staged cultural program, combining official receptions, exhibitions, ceremonies, and public processions intended to promote the artistic and cultural ideals approved by the National Socialist state. Magda Schneider was already a prominent German film actress by this period, making her a notable recipient of such an invitation.

The German text reads:

Der Führer und Reichskanzler

ladet

Frau Magda Schneider

aus Anlass des Tages der Deutschen Kunst für Freitag, den 8. Juli 1938 ab 20 Uhr zum Empfang in den Führerbau des Braunen Hauses zu München ein.

Anzug: Frack

Antwort unter Verwendung anliegender Postkarte bis 30. Juni erbeten an das Reichsministerium für Volksaufklärung und Propaganda, Berlin W 3, Wilhelmplatz 8/9 Fernruf 11 00 14 App. 502

This translates to:

The Führer and Reich Chancellor

invites

Frau Magda Schneider

to a reception at the Führerbau of the Brown House in Munich on Friday, July 8, 1938, beginning at 8:00 p.m., on the occasion of the Day of German Art.

Attire: Tailcoat

Please reply by June 30 using the enclosed postcard, addressed to the Reich Ministry of Public Enlightenment and Propaganda, Berlin W 3, Wilhelmplatz 8/9, Telephone 11 00 14, Ext. 502.

The invitation is particularly appealing because it combines a named recipient from the German film industry with a precisely dated state cultural event and a formal reception at the Führerbau. The embossed gold eagle, gold border, original wording, and identified recipient give the piece strong documentary and visual interest.

With its association to actress Magda Schneider, the July 8, 1938 Day of German Art reception, formal Führerbau venue, embossed gold Reich eagle, and period official stationery, this is a significant surviving invitation from the prewar National Socialist cultural apparatus. It would display particularly well in a Magda Schneider, German cinema, Day of German Art, Munich political history, official stationery, or advanced Third Reich paper collection.

The Führerbau ("the Führer's building") is a historically significant building at Arcisstrasse 12 in Maxvorstadt, Munich. It was built between 1933 and 1937, during the NSDAP period, and used extensively by Adolf H.

Plans for the building were first drawn up in 1931, by architect Paul Ludwig Troost, Adolf H's then-favorite architect. It was constructed from 1933 to 1937, part of a major remodeling of the Königsplatz, which included two NSDAP temples in neo-Classical style that "enshrined" the remains of the 15 NSDAP members killed in the 1923 Beer Hall Putsch.

After Troost died in 1934, Leonhard Gall continued the building. The Führerbau was constructed north of the Brienner Strasse. A nearly identical building was also constructed south of the Brienner Strasse and opposite the Führerbau. The south building served as the Administrative Building of the NSDAP (German: Verwaltungsbau der NSDAP) at No. 10 Katharina-von-Bora-Strasse.

During the NSDAP era, the building served as a symbolic building for Adolf H. It is also notable as the site of the signing of the historic 1938 Munich Agreement, under which Czechoslovakia was forced to cede the Sudetenland to Germany. Adolf H himself signed the document in his office in the building. Other signatories included representatives of Germany, Italy, France, and the United Kingdom but, notably, not of Czechoslovakia itself. This is today commemorated by the memorial written in German, Czech and Slovak.