The unexpected: following in Wolfgang Hildesheimer's footsteps through Poschiavo

"The unexpected! In Valposchiavo you come across not only nature, but also villages with their architectural singularities, especially in Poschiavo, the capital, whose peculiarity mocks all expectations. You get used to the leaning tower of Pisa immediately, it is a monument, you are prepared. But the experience of the unexpected, strange, unique, or even eccentric, especially if animated by man and permeated with life, never becomes routine. Each new glimpse is a reconstruction of the first experience lived."

With these words Wolfgang Hildesheimer in the article "The experience of the unexpected" describes the peculiarity of Poschiavo (Merian 14/8 1961).

In the autumn of 1956, Hildesheimer, who could not stand the "terrible Bavarian climate", discovered Poschiavo for himself: "Poschiavo! It has the right altitude, the right climate, the right people." After overcoming the first difficulties due to the denial of a residence permit by the federal foreign police, Hildesheimer was able to settle in Poschiavo in 1957 with his wife Silvia, thanks to the intercession of the writer Friedrich Dürrenmatt:

"Here is magnificent, wonderful weather, fantastic air, the apartment is furnished, except for the entrance and the guest room,... Valtellina wine flows in abundance, melons, Bel Paese, and clearly, by dint of furnishing, I have not yet had time to work. These, briefly, are our conditions."

So wrote Hildesheimer in a letter to Toni and Hans Werner Richter in August 1957.

In 1982, the municipality of Poschiavo conferred honorary citizenship on the couple. Wolfgang Hildesheimer died in Poschiavo on 21 August 1991; in November 2014 his wife Silvia, a painter.

Hildesheimer lived in Poschiavo for over 30 years:

"We have lived there for a long time and we feel at home. We have never lived in the same place for so long as in Poschiavo."

Quote from Manfred Durzak, Gespräche über den Roman. Formbestimmung und Analyse, Frankfurt am Main 1976, S. 295.

At Valposchiavo Tourism, you can pick up a map with the route along the places of significance in Hildesheimer's life and work, which is also available on the Outdooractive app (search for "Hildesheimer").

In the Old Monastery behind the churchyard of the Church of San Vittore Mauro, 22 collages by the German writer and artist Wolfgang Hildesheimer (1916-1991) are permanently exhibited.

The exhibition can be visited from Monday to Friday from 10:00 to 12:00 and from 15:00 to 17:00. Admission is free but on request at T +41 79 741 05 70.