The museum preserves valuable records of the last 43 years of Hermann Hesse’s life, who lived in Montagnola until his death.
The small but important Hermann Hesse Museum is housed in the Camuzzi Tower, an integral part of the historic Camuzzi House complex, a real testament to the prestigious work of Ticino architects in nineteenth-century St. Petersburg. Here Hermann Hesse rented a modest apartment in 1919 in his 42nd year of life. After a period of crisis motivated by separation from his family and the ominous consequences he foresaw of World War I, Hermann Hesse began to write again and discovered painting as a source of calm and serenity.
“The Last Summer of Klingsor,” “Siddhartha,” “Narcissus and Boccadore,” “Steppenwolf,” as well as numerous poems, short stories and watercolors were born in the Camuzzi House. In 1931, Hermann Hesse moved with his third wife, Ninon, to the Red House, in whose spacious garden he delighted in personally growing vegetables and flowers. Later works including “Hours in the Garden” and “The Glass Bead Game,” for which he received the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1946, and his “Letters,” confirmed his creativity. Many personalities (including Theodor Heuss, Thoman Mann and Bertolt Brecht) came to Montagnola to visit the writer. Hermann Hesse, a Swiss citizen since 1924, felt at home in Montagnola; the incomparable landscape and special light conditions on the Golden Hill fascinated the artist. Added to this was the friendly behavior of the Ticinese, whom he praised repeatedly in his stories.
His works are translated into 60 languages; a total of about 150 million copies have been published. The Hermann Hesse Museum in Montagnola, the first and so far the only one in Switzerland, opened on July 2, 1997, on the occasion of the 120th anniversary of the writer’s birth, preserves valuable evidence of the last 43 years of the poet and painter’s life, who lived until his death in 1962 in Montagnola.
The museum is a cultural meeting place for visitors from all backgrounds. Documentaries in Italian, German, English and French are shown in the movie theater; books in different languages displayed at the entrance and in the museum garden invite reading and reflection. Along the marked trail “In the Footsteps of Hermann Hesse,” visitors can admire the unique landscape of the Golden Hill.
Open from November to December 2024: Saturday and Sunday 10:30 a.m. – 5:30 p.m.
Entry prices
- CHF 10 / 8.
- Free admission up to 12 years old
