100 years of Thomas Mann: Lübeck celebrates the master of democracy!

100 years of Thomas Mann: Lübeck celebrates the master of democracy!

Lübeck, Deutschland - On June 5, 2025, the 150th birthday of the famous German writer Thomas Mann is celebrated. On this occasion, the North German city of Lübeck, Mann's place of birth, will be the scene of numerous events and exhibitions that appreciate its literary heir and his political attitude. The shop window of the "Kinderkram" toy business in Lübeck shows Thomas Mann designed for the anniversary celebrations, while the exhibition "My time. Thomas Mann and Democracy" can be visited in the former St. Annen monastery. This exhibition will be presented in the Buddenbrookhaus, the former man's former residence, in the Buddenbrookhaus.

The exhibition is divided into six stations and shows central exhibits such as first editions of Mann's works, a speaker and a popular recipient and addresses central aspects such as equality and freedom of expression. Mann, who was born in the Empire on June 6, 1875, showed a remarkable change from a loyal supporter of the First World War to a supporter of democracy in the Weimar Republic. His most famous political speeches include "from the German Republic" from 1922 and "German speech. An appeal to reason" from 1930, in which he addressed the dangers of the emerging National Socialism.

diverse accompanying program

The Buddenbrookhaus has prepared an extensive accompanying program for the anniversary year. With formats like "Mann to four. These events are not only literary homages, but also platforms to deal with Mann's work and its relevance for today. In the first format, a 'literary quartet' under the moderation of Katrin Krämer (Radio Bremen two) will discuss the four most famous stories of men, accompanied by musical interludes from the Lübeck University of Music.

An event with the title "Fables, delusions, brain brushes", which takes place on June 7, 2025, is also planned and deals with conspiracy theories and its dangers for democracy. Another event will take place on November 13, 2025 on the subject of “violence and society”, which focuses on a literary text by Heinrich Mann.

political topicality

Thomas Mann's political writings continue to become very important, especially in times of political uncertainty. This also becomes clear in the discussion "What we have to ask", organizes the Munich Literature House. The Vice President of the German Thomas Mann-Society, Prof. Dr. Friedhelm Marx, and Büchner award winner Lukas Bärfuss work the topicality of Mann's work. Bärfuss argued that democracies could be reformed, but only within existing structures. Thomas Mann himself saw himself confronted with a similar chaos in the 1930s, which moved him to the German people to call him.

As part of the anniversary events, visitors can also take part in surveys and see student interpretations of Mann's works. A catalog for the exhibition will be published in July 2023, and future scientific conferences will deal with the staging of author: inside in public. In this way, the policies of the past are linked to the challenges of the present.

The celebrations around Thomas Mann show how closely his literary work and his political effectiveness are interwoven. Especially at a time when democracy is at risk, Mann's work offers valuable impulses for political education and discussion.