“The most wonderful time” is how Goethe described the weeks in autumn of 1814 and 1815 that he last spent in his home country. For Marianne von Willemer the meeting with him was the highlight of her life. Goethe’s fond memories focussed above all the time spent in the summer house on the Mühlberg, where, on the evening of 18 October 1814, he celebrated the 1st anniversary of the battle for the liberation of Leipzig and, together with Marianne, enjoyed the beacons blazing on the hills around.
The tiny summer house was purchased by Johann Jakob Willemer in the year 1809. At the beginning of the 20th century the City of Frankfurt saved it from dilapidation. In March 1944, it was destroyed by bombs; only the foundation walls remained intact.
In 1962, it was rebuilt by the Sachsenhausen District Association, the foundation “Freie Deutsche Hochstift” and the City of Frankfurt am Main. It was reopened on 18 October 1964 – the 150th jubilee of that memorable day.
The Willemer Häuschen opens easter sunday through mid October sundays from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.