Tour in English: Erika Mann

A guided walk in the footsteps of Erika Mann through Munich’s Herzogpark with Heidi Rehn

• Sunday, November 16, 11:00 am – 1:00 pm (in German): Registration
• Sunday, December 7, 11:00 am – 1:00 pm (in English): Registration

Due to limited capacity, registration is required.

She was Thomas Mann's ‘bold’ first child, not the boy he had hoped to be reborn as, but ‘only’ a girl – but what a girl! Unlike any of his six children, she became his rebellious, critical opponent, but also his influential advisor, the decisive organiser of his life as a writer and, ultimately, the undisputed administrator of his estate.

The tour following in her footsteps through Munich's Herzogpark begins in Mauerkircherstraße, the rapidly growing family's home in Bogenhausen, leads to the ‘Poschi’, the long-loved home that was also the starting point for Erika's first outbursts, and ends at the Monacensia in Maria-Theresia-Straße, where her written estate is now kept. The tour spans the life of a woman whose biography reflects the history of the 20th century: It begins adventurously, rebelliously and uncompromisingly, deliberately distanced from the ‘family curse’ of writing, but soon finds itself confronted with the political catastrophes of the time and finds its own unique path, ultimately culminating in a self-sacrificing commitment to the continued existence of the work of her beloved brother Klaus and revered father Thomas.

Thomas Mann: In the Burning Landscape of Democracy - Life. Politics. Present

On the occasion of Thomas Mann's 150th birthday, the TUM Center for Culture and Arts and Thomas Mann Forum Munich e.V. are realizing a unique, interdisciplinary project focusing on Thomas Mann's commitment to democracy and his courageous resistance against the Nazi Regime – and what we can learn from this in the ‘burning landscape’ of our present day.

The project is held under the patronage of Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier.

The overall project comprises four interlinked components:

• an exhibition at the TUM-Immatrikulationshalle (December 8 - January 15),
• an academic symposium (November 3),
• an accompanying publication
• the guest performance "Zauberberg :: Expedition in die Gegenwart", an immersive VR theater production (early 2026, date tba).
• an accompanying programme 

The overall project is supported by the TUM University Foundation and the Bavarian State Parliament. We would like to thank the Carl Friedrich von Siemens Foundation for hosting the symposium.