An exhibition in twelve parts to mark the 250th anniversary of Goethe's novel (11.1.2024 - 30.12.2024)

Johann Wolfgang Goethe’s novel The Sorrows of Young Werther has a seminal position in German literature. What did the world look like when the book appeared in 1774? What was on the author’s mind, what were the topics of the day? This cabinet presents a monthly changing exhibition of important first editions, portraits and autographs of 1774 from a private collection. A day-to-day timeline describes significant, often surprising events that reflect the period. Each month one case shows original manuscript treasures from the collection of the Freies Deutsches Hochstift.

The exhibition is curated by Dr. Johannes Saltzwedel. It is based on his book: Werthers Welt. The year 1774 in pictures, books and stories, 2023 (zu Klampen Verlag).