Sessenheim

"Where Goethe fell in love"

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What to see

Mairie - Town hall

The town hall actually is a combined town hall and school. It is situated on place de la Mairie beside the Catholic church. The school area stretches out on the back side. It was built in 1954.
A large wall painting on the front side displays Sessenheim at the time when Goethe came to visit it in 1770 (as the artist imagines it). On the left you can see Friederike Brion sitting in the corn field. From the right Goethe is approaching her. His Alsatian friend Friedrich Leopold Weyland is still sitting on his horse. He was a friend of the family Brion too. In the back of the picture you can see the town with its dominating church tower.

Address: 2 Place de la Mairie, 67770 Sessenheim
Phone: +33 (0)3 88 86 97 04
Website: http://www.sessenheim.net

 

Lutheran church

The Lutheran church was built in 1911/12 by the architect Jos. Müller. It is an extension of the old church building of which only the spire and choir (today the sacristy) remain.
At the time when Goethe visited Sessenheim, it was the only church building in town and used by both congregations, the Lutheran and Catholic who held services in the sanctuary. The minister of this church in 1770/71, Reverend Brion is the father of Friederike Brion (1752-1813), who Goethe fell in love with.

The interior

The new church of 1911/12 is built asymmetrically with a gallery on the northern wall where people can sit and listen to the sermon. The paintings along the gallery are done by artists and students of professor Reinhardt from Munich.
When entering the church the aisle leads to the choir with a beautifully stained window in its backside wall. On the south wall are three large windows with stained glass as well.
The ceiling and the wooden beams follow the roof line enlarging the inner space of the church. As such the church feels inside much larger when compared to the outside appearance.
A large organ, a wooden pulpit and a wooden confessional complete the interior of the church.

The wooden confessional

It seems odd to have a confessional in a Lutheran church, but this piece of furniture is older than the church building itself and originates from the time, when the old church was the only church in town and used by both congregations, Lutheran AND Catholic for their services.
It is said that Friederike and Goethe where sitting together in this hidden place on sundays, listening to the sermon of her father, which Goethe described as "a deadpan but never too long by her side".

Stained glass windows

On the south side of the nave three large windows with stained glass depict three stations of historical importance for the reformed Lutheran church: the Old Testament, the New Testament and the Reformation.
On the window about the reformation Luther can be seen standing at the Diet of Worms in 1521 defending his writings. His assumed closing words are also written below the painting "Hier steh ich. Ich kann nicht anders. Gott helfe mir. Amen." ("Here, I stand. I can do nothing else. God help me. Amen.")
The windows where destroyed during the war but have been beautifully restored.

The organ

In the original building an André SILBERMANN organ from 1719 was installed. After repairs and modifications by Georg HLADKY in 1793 and STIEHR in 1826 the organ was dismantled in 1909 (to give space for the enlargement of the church) and brought to Strasbourg where it was installed in the Palais des Rohan.
In 1911 Eberhard Friedrich WALCKER installed a new organ in the enlarged new church building. In 1970 the organ builders MUHLEISEN from Strasbourg extended the organ once again.

Website: http://pagesperso-orange.fr/eisenberg/orgues/sessenpr.htm

Gravestone of father Brion

On the outside of the southern wall of the church building you can find the gravestone of Johann Jacob Brion aged 70, the minister of the church and father of Friederike.

The Path of Reconciliation

The artist Claude Braun has done a set of eight paintings "The Path of Reconciliation" that are exhibited in eight different churches in the South Palatinate of Germany and the North Alsace of France, with No.7 placed here in the Lutheran church.

  • No.1 in Bad Bergzabern "We are all children of God" (1 Moses 1,27) and "A world is collapsing" (1 Moses 3-7)
  • No.2 in Billigheim "The spiral of violence will be broken" (Isaiah 52ff)
  • No.3 in Hunspach "Such is reconciliation" and "An appeal to our responsibility" (2 Moses 20; 5 Moses 5)
  • No.4 in Steinweiler "Put in perspective" (Matthew 5,45)
  • No.5 in Niederbronn-les-Bains "Charity" (Luke 10, 25-37) and "An appeal to our conscience" (5, 38ff)
  • No.6 in Wissembourg "Jesus is put to the test" (John 8, 1-2)
  • No.7 in Sessenheim "Sermon on the mount" (Matthew 5,1-10)
  • No.8 in Klingenmünster "The love of God is a gift" (John 15, 12-17)

Address: Rue de l'Eglise, 67770 Sessenheim
Phone: +33 (0)3 88 86 97 25

 

Goethe Barn

This barn stands in the yard of the parish house (todays Lutheran parish).
At the time when Goethe came to Sessenheim in 1770 it was the house of the family Brion, the minister of the church.
It is said that Goethe helped the family, as in October 1770 when he helped to store corn in the barn. Therefore the barn is called "Goethe barn". It can be seen on one of Goethe's own drawings (Link to Wikipedia).
It was restored in 1927 and 1958.

Address: 8 Rue Albert Fuchs, 67770 Sessenheim
Directions: Next to the Goethe Memorial.

 

Goethe Memorial at Rue Albert Fuchs No.6

In 1961 professor Albert Fuchs founded the Goethe Memorial here to commemorate the connection of the young Goethe with Sessenheim, who fell in love with the pastor's daughter Friederike Brion in 1770/71 and visited Sessenheim a couple of times.

The house from 1820 was used by guardsmen during the time of Napoleon. It has a timber porch typical for the imperial time. The building has two public rooms, the front "bust hall" and the "room of documents" in the back. In the latter you can immerse into the time when Goethe was visiting Sessenheim, the French and German people, friends, philospohers, statesmen and their visions he was exposed to and influenced by.

The bust hall

The front room of the Goethe Memorial building in Rue Albert Fuchs No. 6 is dedicated to Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749-1832). He was a student in Strasbourg from April 1770 to August 1771. During this time he visited many Alsatian towns together with his friend Friedrich Leopold Weyland and for the first time in August 1770 also Sessenheim where he met Friederike Brion, the daughter of the pastor. He fell deeply in love with her but finished the relationship a year later.
Centrally in the bust hall the bust of Goethe commemorates his connection with France. The bust itself was modelled by Pierre-Jean David d'Angers (1788-1856) in 1829. He sent it as a present to Goethe who welcomed it deeply moved as a sign of transnational human ties (during the times of rising nationalism). The bust exhibited here is a copy of the original.

Below the bust on the base are two quotes catching the eye. "Vous étes un homme" ("You are a man") was said by Napoleon when they met in Erfurt in 1808. "L'inépuisable est dans sa nature" ("Inexhaustible he is in its nature") was said by Paul Valery in 1932 at the Sorbonne during a speech commemorating the 100th anniversary of Goethe's death.
The quotes left and right of the bust are Goethe's: "Und dein Streben sei's in Liebe und dein Leben sei die Tat" ("Let love guide thy strivin and let action be thy life") and "Alle menschlichen Gebrechen sühnet reine Menschlichkeit" ("All man's failings are redeemed by the pure essence of his humanity").
On the right wall the dates of Goethe's time in Alsace (2 April 1770 - 14 August 1771) is inscribed together with important people he met or whose ideas he heard about during his time as a student in Strasbourg: Herder, Shakespeare, Rousseau, Diderot.
On the left wall his love Friederike Brion (19 April 1752 - 2 April 1813) is immortalised together with a line by Goethe: "Sie hat mich geliebt schöner als ich's verdiente" ("Her love was finer than I deserved").

The room of documents

Here, in the back of the house, you can immerse into the time when Goethe was visiting Sessenheim, the French and German people, friends, philospohers, statesmen and their visions he was exposed to and influenced by.

Opening hours: Open to the public throughout the year.

Address: 6 Rue Albert Fuchs, 67770 Sessenheim

 

Rue Albert Fuchs

Albert Fuchs was a professor at the University in Strasbourg and the founder of the Goethe Memorial.
In the Rue Albert Fuchs many timber frame houses are still standing.

 

Rue Albert Fuchs No.2

Rue Albert Fuchs No.4

The house with the No.4 is a timber frame house with infills plastered in a bright yellow colour. It stands right beside the Goethe Memorial.
It was built in 1765 by the family Binder Schoeplin as can be read nicely written on one of the corner timber posts.

Rue Albert Fuchs No.5

The house with the No.5 was built in 1823 by Jacob Krautwasser and Carolina Hoen as can be read nicely written on one of the corner timber posts.

Rue Albert Fuchs No.14

The house with the No.14 was built in 1819 by people with the initials HR + ML as can be read nicely written on one of the corner timber posts.

Rue Albert Fuchs No.16

The house with the No.16 was built in 1821 by Jacob Vix and Katharina Heintz as can be read nicely written on one of the corner timber posts.

Rue de la Paix

Rue de la Paix No. 5 (centre) and 7 (right)
Rue de la Paix No. 5 (centre) and 7 (right)

The Rue de la Paix is another street lined with old timber frame houses. It leads to the Catholic church whose spire nicely landmarks the road.
Pictures show houses at No.1, No.5, No.7, No.13 and No.14.

Address: Rue de la Paix, 67770 Sessenheim

 

Catholic church

Until 1912 the Lutheran and Catholic congregation used a common church building for their services. It was standing on the site of today's Lutheran church. But in 1912 two new church buildings were erected, including a larger one for the Lutheran that replaced the old building.
On the site beside the town hall a separate church for the Catholic parish was erected.

The interior
The Catholic church built in 1912 consists of a simple nave with a flat wooden ceiling. It has a splendid interior including a main altar and the two side altars, stained glass windows on both sides and in the choir, a large organ, a wooden chancel, a golden cross and statues of Maria Magdalena.

The stained glass windows

The glass windows in the south-east wall of the church depict male saints, starting from the choir in the following order:

  • #1: St. Arbogastus and St. Florentius,
  • #2: St. Aloisius and St. Joannes Bosco,
  • #3: St. Ludovicus and St. Leo IX.,
  • #4: St. Antonius and St. J.B.Vianney.

The glass windows in the north-west wall of the church depict female saints, starting from the choir in the following order:

  • #5: Sta. Teresia and Sta. Johanna d'Arc,
  • #6: Sta. Ricardis and Sta. Odilia,
  • #7: Sta. Monica and Sta. Maria Magdalena,
  • #8: Sta. Caecilia and Sta. Barbara.

The side altar, chancel and cross
Beside the main sanctuary with the main altar it is the two side altars, a blueish wooden chancel to the left and a large Holy Cross hanging on the right side wall that are catching the eye of the visitor.

The Holy Virgin
Left and right of the entrance and below the gallery for the organ, two statues of the Holy Virgin and a stained glass window worshiping the immaculate conception are illuminated to focus the attention for prayers.

The organ
It was installed by Martin and Joseph RINCKENBACH in 1912 the same year the church was built. Originally it had 14 registers. It is assumed that the 15th register was added in 1925 when the Rinckenbach brothers repaired the organ.
In the years 1930-40s the organ builder's house ROETHINGER is mentioned to have looked after the organ, followed in 1956 by the house SCHWENKEDEL and in 1992 by the house KOENIG.
Website: http://pagesperso-orange.fr/eisenberg/orgues/sessennt.htm

Address: Rue Goethe, 67770 Sessenheim

 

Goethe-Museum in the restaurant "Au Boeuf"

This Goethe-Museum is a small private collection and part of the restaurant "Au Boeuf", giving you the once in a life time chance of combining German and Alsatian culture with French cuisine.
As other people collect stamps this family started decades ago to collect bits and pieces that share a connection with Goethe.
The benches in the restaurant are originally from the old church that was taken down in 1911.

Address: 1 rue de l'Eglise, 67770 Sessenheim
Phone: +33 (0)3 88 86 97 14
Website: http://www.auberge-au-boeuf.fr

 

Walking in the footsteps of Goethe and Friederike

You would like to explore Sessenheim "in the footsteps of Goethe and Friederike Brion"?
The hiking association Club Vosgien has marked a route easy to recognize by a red circle and takes about 90 minutes for the 6 km.
It starts at the town's centre (No. 1) with the Lutheran church, parish priest's house and the Goethe Memorial, then continues to (No. 2) the tumulus (or Goethehügel or Friederikensruhe) and the Goethe-Eiche, an oak tree (No. 3).
When walking I recommend to read (or listen to) Goethe's "Dichtung und Wahrheit" ("Poetry and Truth") where he also describes his relationship to Friederike and Sessenheim.

Website: http://www.sessenheim.net/fred.html

 

Tumulus, also called Friederikensruhe or Goethehügel

This tumulus consists of very old graves from prehistoric Celtic or Merovingian times.
This place is mentioned by Goethe in his autobiography "Dichtung und Wahrheit" ("Poetry and Truth") as the goal of numerous walks together with his love Friederike Brion during his stays in Sessenheim in the years 1770/71.
In 1880 the first arbour was erected in memory of the parish priest's daughter. The arbour of today is the fifth in this place.

Address: Rue Goethe, 67770 Sessenheim
Directions: Coming from Place de la Mairie and the town's centre walk down the Rue Goethe, cross the railway track and after 200 metres on your right side a signpost guides you to the tumulus.

 

Original town map

The original town map of Sessenheim, as can be found in the town itself, with the sights marked.

Coat of arms

The coat of arms of Sessenheim depict three swans on a green background.

How to travel

by train

Lauterbourg - Sessenheim - Strasbourg

Sessenheim is connected by train with Lauterbourg to the north and Strasbourg to the south and served by approximately one connection per hour during daytime in each direction. The train ride takes about 30 minutes to either Lauterbourg or Strasbourg.
The train station of Sessenheim is dominated by a building that is no longer in use, or better said there is no tenant at the moment as the former waiting hall is closed and the former station's clerk had become redundant.
You can buy tickets at a vending machine.

Address: Rue de la Gare, 67770 Sessenheim
From the station you can walk to the town centre in 5-10 minutes.

Note: The page was originally created on May 10, 2008 for Virtualtourist.com. It contributed 30 tips and 103 photos to the Sessenheim Travel guide, was Top Rated and ranked No.1 of the Top 5 Sessenheim Writers. The site was closed down on Feb 27, 2017.