In the fall of 1826, the University of Erlangen appointed the poet and scholar Friedrich Rückert (1788-1866) as Professor of Oriental Languages.
languages. An extremely creative period began for Rückert, which was overshadowed by severe strokes of fate: In the winter of
1833/34, his children Luise and Ernst succumbed to scarlet fever at the ages of three and five. The poet expressed his deep grief in 428 "Kindertodtenlieder", some of which were later set to music by Gustav Mahler. When Rückert left Erlangen in 1841, he had a birch tree planted on the grave of his children in the Neustadt cemetery.
Unusual collection item
The "Rückert birch" had to be heavily pruned in February 2016. Only the lower trunk remained at the children's grave, a fragment of the trunk was salvaged and has since been kept in the city museum's depot. There, the visual artist Regine von Chossy discovered the unusual collection object and gave it a place in the art exhibition "Intervention and Search for Traces". The "Rückert Birch" can still be seen at the Stadtmuseum until March 12.
Photo: Dieter Zeitler
Our city archive & our city museum
City Museum Erlangen
The city museum in the heart of the old town presents the history of the Erlangen region from the first traces of human life to the modern Siemens and university city of the 20th century.
About the city archive
From a "collection point for antique objects" to a modern municipal archive: Here you will find further information on the tasks, structure and history of the municipal archive.
City Museum Erlangen
The city museum in the heart of the old town presents the history of the Erlangen region from the first traces of human life to the modern Siemens and university city of the 20th century.
About the city archive
From a "collection point for antique objects" to a modern municipal archive: Here you will find further information on the tasks, structure and history of the municipal archive.