In the Footsteps of Literature through Germany

Heinrich Heine (1797–1856): Düsseldorf and the Loreley

Sankt Goarshausen: Katz Castle on the Rhine in the Upper Middle Rhine Valley ©DZT (Francesco Carovillano)

Heine’s works combine irony, a longing for freedom, and Rhine romanticism. In Düsseldorf, where he was born in 1797, this historical journey of discovery begins in the Old Town, just a few steps from the Rhine. At the Heinrich Heine Institute, the exhibition Romanticism and Revolution presents the world’s only permanent exhibition dedicated to the poet’s life and work; guided tours and a digital tour are also available. Heinrich Heine’s birthplace has established its reputation as one of the state capital’s leading literary centres through its events and readings. Those wishing to broaden their literary horizons should travel further up the Rhine to the Loreley in the Upper Middle Rhine Valley, the place whose myth Heine’s poem "Die Lore-Ley" made internationally famous. The Loreley is one of the defining landmarks of this unique UNESCO World Heritage cultural landscape, where castles, palaces, vineyards and the Rhine come together in a richly layered cultural setting.

Hermann Hesse (1877–1962): The Black Forest and Lake Constance

Lake Constance: Peninsula Hoeri in the Lower lake between Radolfzell and Stein/Rhine (CH) ©TMBW (Achim Mende)

Born on 2 July 1877 in Calw in the Black Forest and awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1946, Hermann Hesse remains one of the most widely read German-language authors of the 20th century around the world. He wrote about the search for meaning, inner freedom, and self-realisation — themes that continue to draw visitors from across the globe to the places where he lived. In Calw, Hermann Hesse can be discovered in a particularly vivid way: on a literary walking tour through the old town, in the Hermann Hesse exhibition at the Tannery Museum, and along hiking trails around Calw that follow his footsteps through the Black Forest. The Gerbersauer Lesesommer invites visitors to rediscover Hesse’s hometown through his literary eyes. Those wishing to trace Hesse’s life journey further can travel to Gaienhofen on the Höri peninsula on Lake Constance, which also offered refuge to persecuted artists such as Otto Dix after 1933. His Lake Constance years are brought to life there by the Hesse Museum and the annual Hermann Hesse Days, which honour the Nobel Prize winner’s multifaceted life and work through a range of events.The themed trail Naturgenuss und Müßiggang leads through the landscape in which Hesse sought a life close to nature as an artist from 1904 to 1912.

Günter Grass (1927–2015): Lübeck

Luebeck: Inner courtyard of the Günter Grass House ©LTM (Olaf Malzahn)

Born on 16 October 1927 in Danzig (today’s Gdańsk in Poland), Günter Grass played a defining role in shaping the cultural image of the Federal Republic of Germany as a major voice of post-war German literature. Awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1999, he combined literary expressiveness with political commitment and visual artistic work. This rich diversity can be experienced impressively at the Günter Grass House in Lübeck’s Old Town, which was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1987. The permanent exhibition brings together manuscripts, drawings, writing instruments, and interactive media. Guided tours also introduce visitors to Grass’s close connection to Lübeck, which became his adopted home after he was forcibly separated from his hometown of Danzig at the end of the Second World War. In Lübeck’s Old Town, central themes of his works — origin, memory, and responsibility — can be directly connected to the place itself while walking through its historic lanes, courtyards, and winding passageways.