Literature archive Marbach: A reputation is in danger

poets of The Nation, to let themselves in their works of every imaginable life situation taken at the end of sentences to find. “Rank and Power, the ridiculous spangle, / Fall on the day of judgment, / Fall like leaves in the Storm, / And the Pomp is nothing!” it is, in Schiller’s “the dead celebration at the tomb of Philipp Friederich of Rieger’s”. In these lines, Sandra Richter, Director of the German literature archive (DLA) in Marbach am Neckar could have, in these days thought. Because the judge’s Power to Schiller’s birthplace, where the gold reserves of the German literature, philosophy and science are archived, is threatened.

Rüdiger, they

Political correspondent in the state of Baden-Württemberg.

F. A. Z.

Shortly after its official inauguration in January of 2019, the Director was quick facts, and hit two personnel decisions that seem to have applied almost all of the 260 employees against you: judge the termination of the long-standing managing Director Dagmar Janson, and with the return of their Familiar Heike Gfrereis at the beginning of January as head of the “literature Museum of Modern art” I agree.

An “artistic Person”

thinking Normally, culture is in need of a Manager for the analysis of complex cultural institutions, at least a good year to understand power relations, cliques and informal structures. Sandra Richter took this time. Parts of the workforce at the Marbach Schillerhöhe are outraged, many of the members of the Board of Trustees of the Schiller society, irritated – and even in the baden-württemberg state Parliament, some have heard is that it crunches in Marbach huge. The SPD member of the state Parliament Martin Rivoir asks in a question to the Minister of science, concerned about whether the conflicts in Marbach “could affect the national and international reputation of the house”. To do this, you must know that Marbach is just a difficult patch, but nothing short of a contaminated site: “Marbach was always a kind of holiday camp, with many bitter enemy, and on the other hand, almost family relations. It is a professional Pitch is missing until today,“ says a former employee.

After clashes in the DLA between the former Director Ulrich Raulff and Gfrereis of the Board of Directors of the Schiller society had decided to take leave of the head of the Museum from January 2017 to June 2019, and to give her no personal responsibility anymore. But returned Gfrereis in January 2019, just in time to Richter’s office, and the Museum Director was back. Her Fans say that she was thinking an “artistic Person”, the fit to the mentality of the archivists never. Numerous critics of the offensive drawings of the young Schiller, is a fall, if the conversation comes to you, where people hand-stands in the process.

Desolate conditions?

for Sure is that the works Council saw the need for it to deal with the case Gfrereis intense as in the summer of 2018 about their possible return was discussed. The works Council expressed at the time concern that there could be a prophylactic cancellations, if you return. The Board of the Schiller society was discussed, whether the case would need to investigate an external Commission, or whether a “Coaching” was not sufficient. The critics of the Museum Director could not prevail. The works Council kept the process very serious, and called for a Board meeting in November 2018, the objections to the return of Gfrereis in the session log capture also remained under.

“is The Protocol, such as the transcripts of meetings of the German Schiller society, and DLA is usual, a result of Protocol, no history log. The works Council had requested to the said agenda item, a progress log. The Executive Board is not followed at the time, because he saw no reason, from the usual log format, to deviate,“ says Peter-André Alt, President of the Schiller society and the German rectors ‘ conference (HRK). If the works Council office, the Situation in Marbach is now “desolate,” that was “in obvious contrast to the objective Situation”. A Commission of inquiry was not necessary, the ability to work between the Museum and the archive is fully backed up.