Call it a travelogue.  Call it a memoir. 

Call it a history of Europe in modern times, even earlier. 

This unique chronicle is all of these.

Author Jane Pejsa  is well-versed in the history and geography of Central Europe as it has evolved out of two world wars. In this chronicle she gently seduces the reader into joining her on an adventure to places where the present is inexorably yoked with the past.

The journey commences in Great Poland near the relatively unknown site of 10,000 executions, a sad beginning. Yet the cloud passes as the travelers move on into the forest of the incredible Rogalin Palace. Over centuries this magical place has mirrored the triumphs and the tragedies of that nation.

Then north to a land along the Baltic Sea, once an ancient German civilization.  The death of this homeland is just one heartbreaking legacy of Nazi aggression.  Now a drive through the forest to join a gathering of former American and British Prisoners of War (POWs). They are survivors among 10,000 men who spent close to a year in a place dubbed the very worst of German POW prison camps.  This is their final reunion.

On to the very German city of Hannover, once ruled by British royalty. Here too we revisit history by delving into the curious life journey of an old friend, now deceased.  Once a Nazi youth leader, she fell under the spell of the German martyr Dietrich Bonhoeffer.  After the war she visited Israel, seeking forgiveness, and in so doing converted to Orthodox Judaism.  In all its amazing details this friend’s life too was a remarkable journey.

South to Heidelberg and the last days of General George S. Patton, now a piece of Heidelberg’s romantic history, with a detour to the “birthplace of German democracy.” This is the ancient Hambach castle, perched high above the wide Rhine River valley, where one of the 19^th century’s greatest events played out.

Personal encounters along the way bring the adventurers back to World War II and the legendary German General Erwin Rommel. In the best days of his Afrikakorp he was known as the Desert Fox.  Even today a mythical aura surrounds his memory. The travelers drink coffee in the home of his son Manfred Rommel, Lord Mayor emeritus of Stuttgart. A prolific writer, this beloved politician has contributed the last chapter of A Remarkable Journey into the Heart of Europe.

This book a must read for those who find pleasure in exploring little-known corners of European history. 

A Remarkable Journey into the Heart of Europe @ $19.95
soft cover, ISBN 978-0-9749902-7-9

When ordering, add $3.00 shipping for a single copy, $1.00 for each additional copy.

A Remarkable Journey into the Heart of Europe may be ordered by mail, phone, or email from

Kenwood Publishing
609 Minnesota Avenue
Stevens Point WI 54481

Phone: 715-344-7749    EMail: sales@kenwoodpublishing.com

Click here to return to Kenwood Publishing home page.