Philip S.
Yelp
Anybody who is learning or has learned German, and has taken any form of formal examination, such as the Goethe Prüfungen set out by the Goethe-Institut, should be aware of the cultural relevance. Goethe-Institut is named after the writer and poet Johann Wolfgang von Goethe and the Goethe-Haus Museum, with a separate art gallery (Gemäldegalerie) celebrates his origin, achievements, associations, and interests.
Goethe-Haus was one of the main places to visit during my trip, and I was not disappointed. Located slap bang in the centre of Frankfurt and within 15 minute walking distance from the Hauptbahnhof (main train station). I initially visited the art gallery, which is part of the "Haus" but is kept separate, and it is made up of a wonderful collection of paintings that displays Goethe's life and times, associations and paintings Goethe personally liked. To highlight, which is a theme surrounding part of this collection and others found in the Städel Museum and the Kurpfälzisches Museum der Stadt Heidelberg, as the culture is very much intertwined, is the theme of the late Baroque to Romanticism. I have developed a fondness of the Romanticism art, as it is predominantly of the late 1700s but depicts landscapes and nature, and a focus on human emotion and expression.
The Goethe-Haus is undergoing a refurbishment/treatment, but the majority of the museum is unscathed. The house itself belonged to Goethe's parents and has its own story to tell as well as Goethe's. Fascinating! Goethe was born and raised here, and it was his family home. Until he moved to Weimar in 1775, where he stayed (with interruption and travels) until his death. Once again, due to the second World War, the house was destroyed, but later reconstructed in 1951. The style of the house resonates Rokoko (as it is in German) bourgeois, which is knowledge I picked up from my visit.
If in Frankfurt, go visit, because it tells such an amazing story of a person that is so intrinsic in German literary and art culture.