Schiller House

The Schiller House is considered to be the oldest maintained farm house in the region of Leipzig. It was built in 1717 as a combination of stable and residence. The farmer Christoph Schneider transformed the stables into rooms as accommodation for visitors. Friedrich Schiller (1759-1805) lodged here from May till September 1785. Schiller was 25 years old but already well-known because of his theatre play “Die Räuber” (The Robbers). In Leipzig he spent cheerful days together with his friends Christian Gottfried Körner, the woman artist Dora Stock, her sister Minna as well as the publisher Georg Joachim Göschen. At this place Schiller wrote the ode ”An die Freude” (Ode to joy) and the drama “Don Carlos”.

In 1841, the Leipzig democrat Robert Blum initiated the use of the house as memorial to Schiller. The roughly 100 items in the permanent exhibition of the Schillerhaus give a vivid impression of the atmosphere of that time and the personalities who encountered the poet or made friends with him. Furthermore it is dedicated to Schiller’s literary works and their performance in Leipzig, e.g. the dramas “Kabale und Liebe” and “Don Carlos” as well as the ode “An die Freude” which became world famous in Beethoven’s musical setting. The exhibition acknowledges the commitment of the Leipzig Schillerverein and informs visitors about the history of the building, its renovation and restoration.

In summer, concerts, readings and theatre performances take place in the picturesque farmhouse garden.