Government of Hamburg
The Golden Book consists of the signatures of especially honoured guests of Hamburg. The book itself is a box with not fixed sheets. It is folded in golden leather and a gift of the family of the First Mayor Carl Friedrich Petersen (1809 – 1892). In 1937 the German leader Adolf Hitler signed the book before giving a public speech in Hamburg. During the denazification Hitler's sheet, as these from other Nazis, was removed from the book. The only signature remained is from Joseph Goebbels, because he wrote on the same sheet as the former German President Paul von Hindenburg. The Dalai Lama signed the Golden Book during his 5th visit in Hamburg in February 2007.