Gleimhaus, Literary museum in Halberstadt, Germany
The Gleimhaus is a timber-framed building located behind the cathedral that houses rooms displaying works and correspondence from the Enlightenment period. The exhibition spreads across multiple floors and presents literary collections gathered over three centuries.
Johann Wilhelm Ludwig Gleim made this his home starting in 1719 and transformed it into a meeting place for poets and thinkers over many decades. After his death in 1803, his collection was preserved and became the foundation for the museum that exists today.
The so-called Temple of Friendship displays over 130 portraits from the 18th and early 19th centuries depicting writers and artists of that era. These paintings give visitors a direct sense of who shaped the literary world at that time and what these people looked like.
The museum is easily reached on foot from the city center and has clear orientation inside with marked rooms. It is best visited on quieter weekdays when you have time to explore and the exhibits are not crowded.
The house holds handwritten letters from roughly 500 different correspondents from the 18th century. These letters offer a rare glimpse into the daily thoughts and networks of writers and intellectuals of an entire era.
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