Regional Mountain Conference

This contribution is meant to show how the analysis of historic tourism advertisements can contribute to regional history research. Belle Époque Tourism as a relatively homogenous practice (in the late 19^th and early 20^th centuries) allows to compare destinations which are quite different regarding their political, historical, and ecological context. The transformative power of tourism affected both urban development and regional identities. Besides transportation, accommodation, and entertainment infrastructures, historical advertising strategies also played a central role. Tourism at the turn of the 20^th century created iconic and crucial advertisement concepts, both in the context of advertising itself, but also in regard of the definition and identity-building of the respective city. The motifs, the perspectives, and especially the ideas behind tourism advertisements often achieved an impressive longevity during the 20th century and helped to build each distinctive regional construct.