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An alley for the celebrationSpirited celebrations in Leipzig and its surroundings on the occasion of Friedrich Schiller’s 100th birthday in 185924th June – 9th August 2009 Schillerhaus, Menckestraße 42, 04155 Leipzig The anniversary exhibition on the occasion of Friedrich Schiller’s 250th birthday takes the visitor on a journey through time back to what was probably the year when there was biggest celebration of Schiller’s life ever - this gives the visitor a snapshot in time of an extraordinary event in the life of the people in the middle of the 19th century. Both Friedrich Schiller (1759-1805) as a person, and his work, were already idolised during the poet’s lifetime. This esteem culminated spectacularly in the biggest mass celebration of the 19th century on the occasion of his 100th birthday on 10th November 1859. Friedrich Schiller’s 100th birthday was celebrated by all classes of the population in Leipzig for three days – from 9th to 11th November 1859. Schiller’s poems were declaimed, songs were sung, anniversary speeches were given, feasts were organised and stage plays were performed. The festival procession in the afternoon of the 10th of November constituted the high point of the celebrations. Tens of thousands of people crowded the streets and alleys – they cheered, rejoiced, sung and danced. “Der Feier eine Gasse!“ [“An alley for the celebration“] was printed on posters mounted on the walls of the houses and at street corners in order to give the cheerful hustle and bustle of the celebrations a “dignified harmony“.The exhibition was created in co-operation with Frank Britsche of the University of Leipzig (subject: history didactics in the Department of History, University of Leipzig). |
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