When does the public tour take place?

The tour takes place on Monday, September 28, 2026, at 5 PM and lasts about one hour.

What is the cost of the tour?

The public tour is free of charge.

Is registration required?

No, registration is not required for the public tour.

Where is the meeting point?

The meeting point is the entrance area of the Bamberg State Library in the New Residence at Domplatz 8.

How long will the exhibition be on display?

The exhibition E. T. A. Hoffmann global. Border Crossings of Fantasy is open from September 14 to December 5, 2026.

What topics does the exhibition cover?

The exhibition focuses on E. T. A. Hoffmann's life and work, as well as autographs, drawings, sheet music, illustrations, book art, and modern artistic adaptations of his fantasy worlds.

E. T. A. Hoffmann global

Name: E. T. A. Hoffmann global. Border Crossings of Fantasy
Start: 2026-09-28T17:00:00+02:00
End: 2026-09-28T18:00:00+02:00
Location: Staatsbibliothek Bamberg

Border Crossings of Fantasy: Experience E. T. A. Hoffmann in Bamberg

The one-hour public tour through the exhibition E. T. A. Hoffmann global. Border Crossings of Fantasy reveals the work of a universal artist who has profoundly influenced Bamberg. In the year of his 250th birthday, the Bamberg State Library invites visitors to rediscover Hoffmann's literary, graphic, and musical image worlds.

An Artist Between Music, Literature, and Drawing

E. T. A. Hoffmann lived in Bamberg for five years. The so-called Bamberg years of martyrdom became a crucial phase of his biography: it was here that he transitioned from composer to writer. The exhibition positions Hoffmann as a central figure of German Romanticism, whose stories continue to oscillate between reality, dreams, and fantasy.

Autographs, Illustrations, and Artistic Books

The examination of the works guides visitors through selected holdings of the Bamberg State Library. Autographs, drawings, sheet music, illustrated editions, and artistically designed book covers will be on display. A special focus is on Hoffmann's own visual ideas as well as the sheet featuring the signatures of the cat Murr from the years 1818 to 1821.

From the Nutcracker to the Cat Murr

Hoffmann's characters are part of the cultural memory: the brave Nutcracker, the vain Cat Murr, and the doll Olympia transcend their literary boundaries and continue to live on in theater, music, illustration, children's books, comics, and graphic novels. The exhibition showcases the diverse ways in which artists have responded to Hoffmann's fantasy world.

An Aesthetic Experience in a Historical Library Room

The atmospheric exhibition space of the New Residence combines historical architecture with the quiet concentration of the library room. Paper, print, handwriting, line, and typographical design enter into a dialogue. The tour imparts art historical knowledge while simultaneously offering a sensory encounter with materials, forms, and visual spaces of the Hoffmann reception.

Cultural Education and New Perspectives

The tour is aimed at literature enthusiasts, families, school classes, and anyone who wishes to explore Hoffmann's work from a museum perspective. It makes visible how texts cross borders, migrate into other languages and media, and produce new forms of imagination. The Bamberg State Library provides the professional context as part of its public mediation program.

Conclusion: Fantasy as an Open Border

Visitors can expect a focused art experience between literary history, book art, and romantic fantasy. The free tour connects biographical backgrounds with concrete exhibits and an atmospheric examination of the works. Anyone wishing to understand E. T. A. Hoffmann's influence on cultural history and experience his visual worlds live should not miss this exhibition at the Bamberg State Library.