On board the Wilhelm Gustloff, each day brought a new speisekarten. These were combination agendas / menus made aboard with the Gustloff's printing press. Each one measures 5" x 7.5" and shows the agenda on the left and the menu on the right.
     There are often items printed on the backs as well during special voyages. On the back covers of the first and last speisekarten for the voyage is usually a summary of the trip and destinations. On a few menus are features of the ship, songs to be sung, and other information for that trip.
     Shown below are 15 standard variations of covers used on board the Wilhelm Gustloff.
Other special variations are represented throughout the museum site. Photo galleries will offer close-ups of each cover and its contents for the menus in our collection. The current number of menus in the collection from the Wilhelm Gustloff is 347. (Not all are shown due to space).
Speisekarten / Menus for the
Wilhelm Gustloff - 1938
The first menu of each voyage usually sported the liner the trip was on. In this case, the Gustloff.
The Wilhelm Gustloff with the Kraft Durch Freude flag.
Schulschiff der Handelsmarine / School ship of the Merchant Marine
Schulschiff der Kriegsmarine /
School ship of the Navy.


Kraft Durch Freude Fleet
Genoa
Naples
Palermo
Venice
Norwegian Fjords
Triple Nazi Flag / KdF Cover
Lisbon
Madeira
Tripoli

Speisekarten for October 11th, 1938 - October 31st, 1938
Voyage #19: Madiera, Tripoli, Naples, and Genua                                                                                                                                 Longest Voyage of the Wilhelm Gustloff’s Career  20 Menus

Dates Below:Tuesday: October 11th, 1938 - Wednesday: October 12th, 1938 - Thursday: October 13th, 1938 - Friday: October 14th, 1938 - Saturday: October 15th, 1938 - Sunday: October 16th, 1938 - Monday: October 17th, 1938 - Tuesday: October 18th, 1938 - Wednesday: October 19th, 1938 - Thursday: October 20th, 1938 - Friday: October 21st, 1938 - Saturday: October 22nd, 1938 - Sunday: October 23rd, 1938 - Monday: October 24th, 1938 - Tuesday: October 25th, 1938 - Wednesday: October 26th, 1938 - Thursday: October 27th, 1938 - Friday: October 28th, 1938 - Saturday: October 29th, 1938 - Sunday: October 30th, 1938.





Speisekarte for June 3rd, 1938
Voyage #5 - Cruise to Norwegian Fjords
Speisekarten for August 21st, 1938 - August 27th, 1938
Voyage #13 - Cruise to Norwegian Fjords

Dates Below: Sunday: August 21st, 1938 - Monday: August 22nd, 1938 - Tuesday: August 23rd, 1938 (x2) - Wednesday: August 24th, 1938 - Thursday: August 25th, 1938 - Friday: August 26th, 1938 -Saturday: August 27th, 1938.
Speisekarten for September 4th, 1938 - September 10th, 1938
Voyage #15 - Cruise to the Norwegian Fjords.

Dates Below: Sunday: September 4th, 1938 - Monday: September 5th, 1938 - Wednesday: September 7th, 1938 - Friday: September 9th, 1938 - Saturday: September 10th, 1938 .


Speisekarten for November 26th, 1938 - December 6th, 1938
Voyage #22 - Cruise to Italy

Dates Below: Saturday: November 26th, 1938 - Sunday: November 27th, 1938 - Monday: November 28th, 1938 - Tuesday: November 29th, 1938 - Wednesday: November 30th, 1938 - Thursday: December 1st, 1938 - Friday: December 2nd, 1938 - Saturday: December 3rd, 1938 - Sunday: December 4th, 1938 - Monday: December 5th, 1938 - Tuesday: December 6th, 1938.





Speisekarten for August 14th, 1938 - August 20th, 1938
Voyage #12 - Cruise to the Norwegian Fjords
Each menu is affixed into a photo album for this voyage.
Dates Below: Sunday: August 14th, 1938 - Monday: August 15th, 1938 - Tuesday: August 16th, 1938 - Wednesday: August 17th, 1938 - Thursday: August 18th, 1938 - Friday: August 19th, 1938 - Saturday: August 20th, 1938.








Speisekarte for August 7th, 1938 to August 12th, 1938​
Voyage #11 - Cruise to the Norwegian Fjords
There is an error on one menu, the August 8th date being used twice for Monday and Tuesday. 



Speisekarten for November 2nd, 1938 - November 12th, 1938
Voyage #20 - Cruise to Italy

Dates Below: Wednesday: November 2nd, 1938 - Thursday: November 3rd, 1938 - Friday: November 4th, 1938  x2 - Saturday: November 5th,1938 - Sunday: November 6th, 1938, Monday: November 7th, 1938 - Tuesday: November 8th, 1938 - Wednesday: November 9th, 1938 - Thursday: November 10th, 1938 - Friday: November 11th, 1938 - Saturday: November 12th, 1938.

Speisekarten for June 29th, 1938 - July 13th, 1938
Voyage #7 - Return voyage from the Italian World Congress

Speisekarten for July 25th, 1938 - July 30th, 1938
Voyage #9 - Cruise to the Norwegian Fjords
Norway: With the Wilhelm Gustloff sailing in the fjords.

Speisekarten for April 1st, 3rd, 4th & 5th 1938
Pre-Maiden Voyage #-3
April 1st, 1938 to April 5th, 1938​
Speisekarten for April 9th, 10th, & 11th, 1938
Pre-Maiden Voyage #-2 - London Polling Station
April 8th, 1938 to April 12th, 1938​


Dates Below: Wednesday: June 29th, 1938 - Thursday: June 30th, 1938 - Friday: July 1st, 1938 - Saturday: July 2nd, 1938 - Sunday: July 3rd, 1938 - Monday: July 4th, 1938 - Tuesday: July 5th, 1938 - Wednesday: July 6th, 1938 - Thursday: July 7th, 1938 - Friday: July 8th, 1938 - Saturday: July 9th, 1938 - Sunday: July 10th, 1938 - Monday: July 11th, 1938 - Tuesday: July 12th, 1938 - Wednesday: July 13th, 1938, Thursday: July 14th, 1938.


Speisekarten for June 14h, 1938 - June 28th, 1938
Special Voyage - Italian World Congress in Rome

Listed under London Polling Station page.
Speisekarten for 'Official' Maiden Voyage
Voyage #1 - Cruise to the Madeira Islands
April 21st, 1938 to May 6th, 1938
Listed under Maiden Voyage page.


Menu cover for July 29th, 1938 signed by Captain Heinrich Bertram. Also signed R Fincke. (On board photojournalist).


     Presented in the last four images of the 19th voyage is an additional incomplete set of speisekarten from the trip. When I purcahsed this set, it included October 13th, 14th, 15th, 16th, 17th, 19th, 21st, 22nd, 25th, 28th, and 29th. What makes it interesting is that the passenger who saved them used the back sides for each as a journal to record the voyage. Close-ups are shown above and the additional items from this set are in the Tickets and Travel page.
Dates Below: Monday: July 25th, 1938 - Tuesday: July 26th, 1938 - Wednesday: July 27th, 1938 - Thursday: July 28th, 1938 - Friday: July 29th, 1938 - Saturday: July 30th, 1938.



Speisekarte for May 9th & 10th, 1938
Voyage #2 - Cruise to the Norwegian Fjords
May 8th, 1938 to May 14th, 1938​​

Speisekarte for March 27th, 1938
Pre-Maiden Voyage #-5
March 26th, 1938 to March 27th, 1938
Test Run / Inspection​

Speisekarten for May 22nd, 1938 - May 27th, 1938
Voyage #4 - Cruise to the Norwegian Fjords
May 22nd 1938 to May 28th, 1938​

Dates Below: Sunday: May 22nd, 1938 - ​Monday: May 23rd, 1938 - Tuesday: May 24th, 1938 (x2) - Wednesday: May 25th, 1938 - Thursday: May 26th, 1938 (x2) - Friday: May 27th, 1938.

Speisekarten for April 14th, 1938 - April 18th, 1938
Pre-Maiden Voyage #-1 - Easter Cruise

Dates Below: Thursday: April 14th, 1938 - Friday: April 15th, 1938 - Saturday: April 16th, 1938 - Sunday: April 17th, 1938 x2 - Monday: April 18th, 1938.

Speisekarte for May 15th, 1938
Voyage #3 - Cruise to the Norwegian Fjords
May 15th, 1938 to May 21st, 1938​
Speisekarten for December 8th, 1938 - December 18th, 1938
Voyage #23 - Cruise to Italy

Dates Below:Thursday: December 8th, 1938 - Friday: December 9th, 1938 - Tuesday: December 13th, 1938 - Wednesday: December 14th, 1938 - Friday: December 16th, 1938 - Sunday: December 18th, 1938 (Damaged).









Dates Below: Wednesday: June 15th, 1938 - Thursday: June 16th, 1938 - Sunday: June 19th, 1938 - Tuesday: June 21st, 1938 - Wednesday: June 22nd, 1938 - Thursday: June 23rd, 1938 - Friday: June 24th, 1938 - Monday: June 27th, 1938.

Speisekarte for March 31st, 1938
Pre-Maiden Voyage #-4
March 29th, 1938 to March 31st, 1938
Speisekarten for July 23rd, 1938 - July 24th, 1938
Special Voyage: Blohm + Voss Joint Business Trip
Printed within the voyage booklets.​


Speisekarten for September 11th, 1938 - September 17th, 1938
Voyage #16 - Cruise to Norwegian Fjords
*Since all of the covers are the same for this voyage, I decided to only post the first one.​

Dates Below: Sunday: September 11th, 1938 - Monday: September 12th, 1938 - Tuesday: September 13th, 1938  - Wednesday: September 14th, 1938 - Thursday: September 15th, 1938 - Friday: September 16th, 1938 -Saturday: September 17th, 1938.

Speisekarten for November 15th, 1938 - November 24th, 1938
Voyage #21 - Cruise to Italy​

Dates Below: Monday: November 14th, 1938 - Tuesday: November 15th, 1938 - Wednesday: November 16th, 1938 - Thursday: November 17th, 1938 - Friday: November 18th, 1938  - Saturday: November 19th,1938 - Sunday: November 20th, 1938, Monday: November 21st, 1938 - Tuesday: November 22nd, 1938 - Wednesday: November 23rd, 1938 - Thursday: November 24th, 1938.