Lottehaus, Wetzlar, Germany

Following in Goethe's footsteps in Lotte House

Location

Lottehaus is on Lottestrasse, just like that! No. 8 -10, zip code 35578. With the zip code you can find any address in Germany, it's the reference for address searches. Let me give you a few more little hints. You have to get to the Altstadt (the center or old town), which I'll tell you about separately, because it is .... a story in itself. In the Altstadt you will follow the signs and you will easily reach the Tourist Information Center (the most well documented I have ever seen, including a very friendly and useful brochure for Neubuerger - new citizens), in the Domplatz (Dom Square), which you can see from outside the city, but also from nearby. From here follow the signpost Lottehaus and after a few minutes of easy uphill you will reach the address.

Who is Lotte? What is Lottehaus?

Lotte and Charlotte! Charlotte Buff! Lottehaus is today a museum. This is where the aforementioned young lady was born and spent the first 20 years of her life until she became a lady, or to be more precise, married. The house was erected in 1653 and served as the administrative headquarters of the German Order of Marburg and complemented two other administrative buildings existing until then. The Lottehaus It got its name after the citizens of Wetzlar erected a memorial to Charlotte Kestner, born Buff, here in 1863. But who is this Charlotte? Let me tell you about J. W. Goethe. The brilliant Goethe met Charlotte Buff in 1772 while he was working as a summer clerk at the court. Lotte is Goethe's muse, which was evoked and appears in the work "Lotte" in his first novel "Die Leiden des jungen Werthers" (The Sufferings of the Young Werthers, 1774).

1. Lottehaus Museum

If you pay the entrance fee, you get a kind of giant telephone receiver, 20th century model, with some buttons and a leaflet with some codes to type in at certain points of the route to visit. Then the receiver will talk to you and you listen to it to find out what you're visiting. In the language of Goethe and Lotte. It begins with an explanation of the beautiful old house we're going to visit. And we go from room to room, downstairs and upstairs. There's more upstairs, but it's off-limits to visitors.

The museum contains objects, paintings and photographs that belonged to the Buff family. The furniture dates from the 18th century. Several rooms display Goethe's written works. We also find many printed editions of Werther, which although without FB and whatsup has captured a resounding international success with immediate response, something that today would be called viral. And the original copy is on display. Incidentally, the response was called "Werther fever" at the time.

An old clock, huge and massive wardrobes, a maid's bed, imitation dresses of the time (really cool), the coffered decor, the kitchen, an old stove, an old piano by Charlotte Kestner, a pastel painting of our Lotte, a picture of Lotte at the piano, her desk from back then, even a lock of her hair you will find at the Lottehaus. The pictures are more gratifying of what you can visit, but if you want to see it all and hear the whole story go to Lottehaus! Know that Lotte did not marry Goethe because she was promised to Kestner. I'm divulging too much. ......

I noticed the excellent organization at the museum. In addition to that guide on the phone, there is a German, former Croatian, who takes into account and he tells a little extra information, but also many organized groups with guides pass by there.

The clock in the entrance hall

Lotte and her many brothers

Werther - Goethe's viral masterpiece

Lotte's gorgeous dress (copy)

Buff family kitchen

bed since then

Old stove from the Lottehaus

This is Lotte

the big solid wood wardrobe

Bed for young lady

Lottehaus furniture

2. Court

And in the courtyard, on a terrace, in a green corner, on benches in the shade you can read two retro matrimonial ads, one of which says something like this:

"I am looking for a companion who is more than an accessory. To be elegant, pastel, multilateral and from a good home. Unique and noble. Made just for me. "

PS: It doesn't have to be poetic.

Signed Lotte, June 2018"

Interested amateurs?

Lottehaus

who owned the property

Lottehaus is the building on the left

a resting place in the courtyard

one of the retro matrimonial ads in the Lottehaus courtyard

Conclusion

Besides Lottehaus in WetzlarWith the same ticket of 3 EUR you can visit the Museum of City and Industry and the Viseum, located in another building at the same address, as well as 3 other museums, houses and collections at other addresses, in the space of 3 hours. The visit to the Lottehaus lasted up to half an hour.

Visit Lottehaus!

All the best!

Steps:

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