Brechthaus
Bert Brecht's birthplace in Augsburg's Lechviertel has been a memorial since 1985. Here you can immerse yourself in the life and work of the poet and playwright. The craftsman's house "Auf dem Rain 7" stands wedged between two Lech canals. Eugen Berthold Friedrich Brecht was born on the upper floor of the small house on February 10, 1898. The birthplace of the world-famous poet, the creator of works such as "Mutter Courage" and the "Dreigroschenoper," is indicated by the bright red Brecht stele in front of the entrance and the memorial plaque on the facade. The exhibition in the Brechthaus features exhibits and installations on Bert Brecht's childhood and youth, his life and works: first editions, a stage set from 1949, living and death masks, and Mother Brecht's bedroom. On the first floor, a video installation with documentary films provides information, and the reading lounge invites visitors to browse Brecht's œuvre undisturbed with a reference library.
HISTORY
In the middle of Augsburg's old town, in the so-called Lechviertel, you will find the house where Bertolt Brecht was born. The building, a typical craftsman's house from the early 18th century, is surrounded by two Lech canals at the front and back. At the time of Brecht's birth, the first floor housed a file smithy that used water power for its hammer mill, the noise of which probably caused the Brecht family to move out soon.
On the occasion of the first Brech Week, still organized privately, a commemorative plaque was affixed to the house in 1960; the call for a memorial to Augsburg's greatest poet was first made in 1976 during a Brecht celebration. After the city acquired the property in 1981, a permanent exhibition was finally set up on the second floor on the occasion of Augsburg's 2000th anniversary in 1985. After complete remodeling and spatial expansion now also to the first floor, the house was able to reopen on February 10, 1998 on Bertolt Brecht's hundredth birthday as a literary museum under the roof of the State and City Library. Since 2014, the Brechthaus has been part of the Augsburg Art Collections and Museums and is managed by Regio Augsburg Tourismus GmbH.
EXHIBITION
The Brechthaus is a literary museum dedicated to the life of one of the most important German writers of the 20th century. On the basis of textual and pictorial documents, works of art and, not least, his literary œuvre, the permanent exhibition opens up a lively view of Augsburg's famous son. While the first floor provides brief introductions to Bertolt Brecht's life and work as well as the reception of his oeuvre, the rooms on the second floor are each dedicated to a period in Bertolt Brecht's life: Brecht's parents as well as his childhood and youth in Augsburg form the beginning here (1898-1917), followed by the period from the end of the First World War to his move to Berlin (1918-1924). The first Berlin period (1924-1933), the exile (1933-1947) and the time after his return until his death (1947-1956) are presented in the other rooms. Brecht's biography is always flanked by valuable originals, including first editions, stage designs, living and death masks, and the preserved bedroom of his mother Sophie (1871-1920). Bertolt Brecht's work can also be experienced by reading in the lounge on the first floor.
