The Hölderlinturm (English: Hölderlin's Tower) is a building located in

Tübingen Tübingen (, , Swabian: ''Dibenga'') is a traditional university city in central Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is situated south of the state capital, Stuttgart, and developed on both sides of the Neckar and Ammer rivers. about one in thr ...

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

that served as the place of residence and death in the final years of poet

Friedrich Hölderlin Johann Christian Friedrich Hölderlin (, ; ; 20 March 1770 – 7 June 1843) was a German poet and philosopher. Described by Norbert von Hellingrath as "the most German of Germans", Hölderlin was a key figure of German Romanticism. Part ...

. He lived there from May 3, 1807 until his death in 1843. The building is located on the

Neckar The Neckar () is a river in Germany, mainly flowing through the southwestern state of Baden-Württemberg, with a short section through Hesse. The Neckar is a major right tributary of the Rhine. Rising in the Schwarzwald-Baar-Kreis near Schwenn ...

riverfront and is one of the most popularly known sites in Tübingen.

History

The construction of the building traces back to the 13th century. The stone foundation originates from the medieval city wall that originally ran along the northern bank of the Neckar. Hölderlin was forcibly admitted by his family to the clinic of physician Johann Autenrieth on September 15, 1806. The 34-year-old master carpenter Ernst Friedrich Zimmer acquired the property in 1807. Hölderlin was released on May 3, 1807, around the same time as Zimmer's purchase, with a prognosis of incurable illness and three years to live ("höchstens noch drei Jahre").Anja Thüer
Forgotten History
/ref> Autenrieth, meanwhile, had encouraged Zimmer to take Hölderlin into his home, and, looking back on the situation, Zimmer wrote: :''Ich besuchte Hölderlin im Klinikum und bedauerte ihn sehr, daß ein so schöner herrlicher Geist zu Grunde gehen soll. Da im Klinikum nichts weiter mit Hölderlin zu machen war, so machte der Kanzler Autenrit mir den Vorschlag Hölderlin in mein Haus aufzunehmen, er wüßte kein passenderes Lokal.''''Hölderlin – Große Stuttgarter Ausgabe – Sämtliche Werke'', Hrsg: Friedrich Beißner/Adolf Beck, Band 7,3, Nr. 528 :"I visited Hölderlin in the clinic and felt very sorry for him, that such a beautiful, splendid spirit should perish. Because there was nothing more to be done with Hölderlin in the clinic, Autenrit suggested to me to admit Hölderlin into my home, since he could not think of a more appropriate place." Hölderlin moved into the first floor of Zimmer's residence the day after his release and lived there until his death in 1843. During Hölderlin's tower period, he often wrote under the pseudonym Scardanelli. He also received visitors from the neighboring

Tübinger Stift The Tübinger Stift () is a hall of residence and teaching; it is owned and supported by the Evangelical-Lutheran Church in Württemberg, and located in the university city of Tübingen, in South West Germany. The Stift was founded as an Augusti ...

, the school Hölderlin himself had once attended. A visit to the ailing Hölderlin by

Eduard Mörike Eduard Friedrich Mörike (8 September 18044 June 1875) was a German Lutheran pastor who was also a Romantic poet and writer of novellas and novels. Many of his poems were set to music and became established folk songs, while others were used by ...

and

Wilhelm Waiblinger Wilhelm Waiblinger (; 21 November 1804 – 17 or 30 January 1830) was a German romantic poet, mostly remembered today in connection with Friedrich Hölderlin. After he had attended Gymnasium Illustre in Stuttgart, he was a student at the se ...

, both known for their relationship to Hölderlin, is documented by

Hermann Hesse Hermann Karl Hesse (; 2 July 1877 – 9 August 1962) was a German-Swiss poet, novelist, and painter. His best-known works include ''Demian'', ''Steppenwolf (novel), Steppenwolf'', ''Siddhartha (novel), Siddhartha'', and ''The Glass Bead Game'', ...

in his 1914 short story "''Im Presselschen Gartenhaus''" ("In Pressel's Garden-House"). The building has since been extensively renovated and is now the seat of the Hölderlin Society (''Hölderlin-Gesellschaft'').

History

See also

References

Further reading