Timeline

Key figures

Origin and history

The Goethe House in Sessenheim, also known as the Goethe Museum at the Auberge au Boeuf, is a 19th-century literary memorial located in the Alsatian village of Sessenheim in the Lower Rhine. This museum, labeled Maisons des Illustres, commemorates the brief but intense love relationship between the young Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, then a student in Strasbourg, and Frédérique Brion, daughter of the local pastor, between 1770 and 1771. Their history, marked by frequent visits by Goethe to the presbytery and passionate correspondence, inspired major works by the author, including Faust and his autobiography Poetry and Truth.

The museum's history began in 1895, when a first space dedicated to this idyll was inaugurated in the town hall of Sessenheim, thanks to the initiative of archaeologist Gustave Adolf Muller. The collections, composed of original letters, poems, paintings and period objects (such as the pulpit or benches of the church), were transferred in 1899 to the Auberge au Boeuf, a house restored in 1824 facing the Lutheran church. The place, now both a gourmet inn and a museum, was renovated in 1953 by Wolfgang Sautter and his wife and then passed on to their daughter Christiane Sautter-Germain, who continues this dual cultural and culinary heritage.

Although brief (October 1770 to August 1771), Sessenheim's Lidylle deeply marked Goethe, who referred to him in his writings as a founding moment of his youth. Frédérique Brion, nicknamed the most charming star of this country sky, embodies in his work the character of Marguerite (Gretchen) in Faust, symbol of purity and innocence faced with tragic destiny. This museum, with its preserved atmosphere and archives, offers a tangible testimony to this literary and romantic encounter, rooted in the Alsatian landscape.

The Auberge au Boeuf, in addition to its museum role, is now a renowned gastronomic establishment, led by Yannick Germain (distinguished Best Young Talent 2012 by Gault and Millau). This place thus combines Alsatian literary memory and culinary tradition, perpetuating a cultural and family heritage for more than a century. The museum remains a place of pilgrimage for Goethe lovers and a symbol of German romanticism in France.

Future

A first museum dedicated to the idyllus of Goethe and Frédéric was inaugurated in a hall of the town hall on August 10, 1895. In 1953 Wolfgang Sautter and his wife Nora renovated the museum, and rebuilt the current Hostel in the Egg.

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