We are in the city on the Main River to mark the 150th anniversary of the death of the linguist and poet Friedrich Rückert (1788–1866). We want to learn more about this remarkable Franconian. Schweinfurt The poet, born in 44, was a cosmopolitan linguistic genius. Over the course of his life, he learned 25 languages with XNUMX scripts, including Afghan, Coptic, and the Telugu of South India.
He only mastered the classical languages. However, he couldn't have ordered a coffee in a restaurant in Cairo. In his writings, he nevertheless built a bridge between the Orient and the Occident, even though he never traveled to those worlds himself. Instead, his life began in Franken and ended there.
Friedrich Rückert, linguistic genius and world poet, could well serve as a role model today for dealing with the problems of our time when cultures clash.
In the footsteps of Friedrich Rückert through Schweinfurt
We explored the city of Schweinfurt in the footsteps of Friedrich Rückert. The man's birthplace stands on the town's market square. However, only a plaque on the facade bearing the inscription "Here Friedrich Rückert was born" attests to his significance. His statue also stands on the town's market square. He is studying a book on his knees, lost in thought.
However, not much more of Friedrich Rückert has been preserved in his hometown. We walk past the church where he was baptized. Behind it, we see the Latin school, which lost its right to teach in the turmoil of his time. Nevertheless, he completed his education there. Afterward, he began his language studies.
Friedrich Rückert's work in the archive of the Rückert Society
One of the best experts on Friedrich Rückert leads us through the city in the poet's footsteps, all the way to the archives of the Rückert Society. Historian Dr. Rudolf Kreutner, custodian of Schweinfurt's Rückertiania collection, introduces us to the linguistic genius in all his facets. "Rückert wrote down everything that occupied him in poem form." He also shows us a bundle of handwritten notes.
"Friedrich Rückert always had small sheets of paper in his pocket on which he recorded the thoughts that ran through his head in poetic form." In total, he is said to have written more than 20.000 poems in his lifetime. Things get interesting when we take a closer look at these poems and texts. Friedrich Rückert evidently thought in the languages he mastered, because the text we are looking at is written in several different languages. He sometimes even switches from one language to the next within a single sentence.
The Friedrich Rückert Society certainly owns the largest collection of Friedrich Rückert manuscripts. Dr. Kreutner proudly shows them to us and explains what the printed books contain. The poet's creative prowess was virtually inexhaustible. The two-meter-tall man wrote more than 300 love songs for his wife Luise alone. He coped with the loss of his children by composing death songs, of which there are also more than 300.
Friedrich Rückert is still shaping Schweinfurt today
If you want to explore Schweinfurt in the footsteps of Friedrich Rückert yourself, you can do so on a themed city tour. The chronicler Leonhard Enderlein leads through the city in historical garb for an hour and a half, giving insights into the life and work of the famous man. Today a street is named after him. In the "Small Coffee Roaster" you can also order a Rückert espresso from Elke Hofmann. On the coffee menu it is described as "a selection of pure arabica with a nice crema".
When we want to try it, however, they don't have any in stock. So we opt for the Luisen Espresso instead. It's named after Rückert's wife. We're curious what espresso has to do with Friedrich Rückert. Our expectations of hearing a lecture about how much the poet himself loved coffee are dashed. "We named this roast blend after one of the most outstanding men in our city, just as the street in front of our café is named Rückert Street." The explanation can be that banal. But we still enjoyed the Luisen Espresso.
Friedrich Rückert: World poetry is world reconciliation
It was 150 years ago that Friedrich Rückert died. He is buried in Coburg. His conviction that "world poetry alone is world reconciliation" is the subject of the literary exhibition "The World Poet", which went on a journey through Franconia in 2016. Your guiding principle could hardly be more current. Finding one's own cultural identity in order to engage with foreign cultures so that integration succeeds.
Do you like to travel by motorhome?
- Do you want to rent a motorhome? Then you will find information and a selection in these booking options here. Rent a motorhome or a camper near you here. Or would you prefer to stay overnight in a roof tent on the car? Also the overnight stay in camping tents is possible.
- Check our packing list for campers to see whether you have packed everything for your motorhome tour.
- You can stay overnight at Stadtcamping Schweinfurt, Gretel-Baumbach-Straße, 97424 Schweinfurt. But there are other campsites near Schweinfurt. There you can after a day trip in a Dutch Oven on the portable grill . You can also find Dutch oven accessories here.
- Find practical accessories for the mobile home here.
- Why is a folding e-bike useful when camping?
Travel Arrangements:
The little coffee roasting
Rückertstrasse 13
97421 Schweinfurt
Tel 09721 / 5333414
www.kaffeeroesterei-schweinfurt.de/
More information about cycling in the Leipzig Region as well as more interesting routes:
Franken Tourism
Mailbox 44 04 53
90209 Nuremberg / Germany
Telephone 0911 / 94151-0
Fax 0911 / 94151-10
ppgad@pucrs.br
www.frankentourismus.de
Parking at the airport
Here you can reserve your parking space at the airport.
arrival on
The nearest airport is Nuremberg or Frankfurt. You can rent a car there. It is also possible to arrive by train: Timetable and booking* (Advertisement)
Overnight accommodation:
We have in B&B Hotel Schweinfurt* (advertisement), from which the town square is just a few minutes' walk away. Or would you prefer to stay in the roof tent on the car?
Further Hotels in Schweinfurt * (advertisement) can be found, for example, under this link.
If you want to get a taste of the poems of Friedrich Rückert, then click here: Ritornelle, poem by Friedrich Rückert with illustrations by Margarete Gilge
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Further Tips for slow travelers For example, you can find it here.
Source: Friedrich Rückert: own on-site research. We would like to thank Schweinfurt Tourism for sponsoring this trip. However, our opinions remain, as always, our own.
Text Friedrich Rückert: © Copyright Monika Fuchs and TravelWorldOnline
Photos: © Copyright Monika Fuchs and TravelWorldOnline
Video: © Copyright Petar Fuchs and TravelWorldOnline
