The year is 1926, and Wilhelm Dreesen has passed away at the age of eighty-six.

After decades of cutting-edge and prize-winning work as a photographer, his Flensburg workshop was emptied, marking the end of his remarkable life.

A crate filled with unsorted negatives found it's way to the collections of Museumsberg Flensburg, and was eventually re-discovered in 2019.

The material in the crate span Dreesen's entire career, going back to the late 1800s.

These are the photographies contained within that crate.

You are among the first in the world to rediscover these moments frozen in time.

These pictures provide an unfiltered and astonishing view of old Europe, and the holidaymaking of la belle époque - a time of unprecedented technological progress, development and international travel.

While new technologies paved the way for a more interconnected and globalised world,
many Europeans felt a deep longing for something.

What did it mean to be a country with it's own history?
What did it mean to be a people?

Research indicates that the pictures were taken approximately around 1870-1910.
These decades saw some of the most iconic forms of travel in history.

The story of the photographer himself is nothing short of remarkable.
To most, it is one that has been forgotten, despite being intervowen in some of Europe's most decisive happenings and creative environments.

Who was Wilhelm Dreesen?
What was his life like - and what was the purpose of his trips?
What was the attraction of the North?

And - how was it to experience this golden age of tourism firsthand?

Selected pictures from the Dreesen portfolio have been carefully scanned and digitalised, and are proudly presented below.

To retrace the steps of the photographer Wilhelm Dreesen, please select a chapter: